The Road to El Dorado 2: Someday out of the Blue
by Terry2
Summary: New rewritten chapters are up! New ending! Please read
1. Default Chapter

CHAPTER ONE: SOMEDAY OUT OF THE BLUE

SPAIN, 1521

Miguel lead Altivo along the cobble-stone streets of Madrid, his rapier dangling at his side. He hadn't changed much in the past two years, perhaps a little thinner, a little wiser, and an ocean sadder. Since he had left Tulio and Chel after returning to Spain from El Dorado, he hadn't done much except wander the world, just himself, his horse, and his sword.

His sword had become his best friend in those dark days on the road alone. Miguel, though intelligent, was never as sharp as Tulio when it came to planning. He was a follower, he needed direction. If you told him what to do, he could do it better than anyone, but other than that, he was more or less useless and pathetic. His sword, as anyone who knew him now, was his life-line now. It was what kept him alive now, what gave him direction, what kept him going from day to day. There was no one in all of Spain better than Miguel at fencing. No one.

His first month alone wasn't all that discouraging. Miguel criss-crossed Spain and Portugal. The second month he moved to France and spent most of the year there. After that he went to Italy, and then came Germany and the whole of Switzerland. By then he had seen all of the Balkans and most of Scandinavia and had visited his birth place in London, England before heading to Mother Russia and down step by step into the Mediterranean. 

Miguel, at age twenty-seven, began having a few extra glasses of wine at night, to help him get to sleep. At twenty-eight, he was having a few extra glasses to help him digest his lunch. At twenty-nine, now, the wine was essential to wake him up in the morning. His world was collapsing around him. Not only was he a man with no home, no ties, but something almost as dreadful was beginning to happen:

Fencing was beginning to bore him. He was simply too good. He would make his living during his travels by finding the local champion, wherever he happened to be, and they would duel and Miguel would disarm him and accept whatever they happened to bet. And with his winnings he would pay for he and Altivo's food, their lodgings, and his wine.

But the local champions were nothing. Even in the big cities, the local experts were nothing. Even in the capital cities, the local masters were nothing. The was no competition, nothing to help him keep an edge, to excite him. His life began to seem pointless, everything, everything, without reason.

Without Tulio, he simply had nothing to live for. You'd most likely find him with his horse Altivo, and a bottle of wine sitting outside some stables, drunk and muttering to himself about the city of gold, and how he was a God, and how he'd given it all up for love, only to have it thrown in his face. The truth was, Miguel was probably one of the most unhappiest men in all of Spain, which was why he had returned there.

The two companions had fallen upon some particularly hard times as of late. Miguel's health was fading him. In his depression he usually forgot to eat, and slept only a little, keeping only his sword, a bottle of wine, and Altivo for company. That was all he needed.

Beside him Altivo's stomach rumbled loudly. Miguel smiled and patted his muzzle. "You're hungry too, eh old boy? Come on, I'm sure there's some one around here where I can fight for some food, eh?" he said. Altivo whined and nodded, gladly following the golden-haired Spaniard anywhere. Perhaps Miguel wasn't the brightest human in the world, but he cared for him, and loved him, and Altivo was forever grateful for that day he and his friend has saved him from drowning out at sea. Horses, like all animals you see, could sense a person's heart, and Miguel's was nothing less than pure gold, even if it was broken.

They wandered through the square, Miguel's bright green eyes aimlessly searching for around for a tavern or a good sized idiot to fight, when someone brushed his shoulder. A spark, like the fuse on a powder keg ignited in him then and he turned, looking to see the person who had brushed against him.

Tall, blade-thin, unshaven, raven-haired, and staring back at him with the same amazed expression…was Tulio.


	2. Tulio

CHAPTER TWO: TULIO

It had been less than a month after Miguel had left without so much as an explanation or a goodbye that Chel too, left him. Tulio had blamed himself, mostly, believing that he had driven them both off. It was then of course, that he came to realize something; he wasn't getting any younger and he couldn't spend the rest of his life in a back alley playing loaded dice. 

So there he was, with nothing and no one to go to, wandering Spain, letting himself dwindle to the little end of nothing. But with nothing left to go to, he decided there was only one thing he could do at this point, and that was go back to his beginnings. Tulio, after all, hadn't always been a thieving street rat. In fact, he had come from rather good stock, a rather respectable family with a good sum of money. But Tulio and his father had never seen eye-to-eye, and he had left home early to set out to make his fortune.

Tulio was only grateful that his father didn't live long enough to say "I told you so." 

When he arrived at his home in Barcelona, he was greeted with a warm unexpected welcome by his former nanny and house maid, and his cousin Inigo, who had inherited the house from his parents since Tulio was nowhere to be found. For sometime Tulio staid there, gathering his strength and his money, trying to figure out what to do with himself. It was then that he discovered that there was good money to be had as a sailor, and so he set off, with only a few belongings and enough money to get him by.

After only four months at sea, Tulio's ship was attacked by pirates, and it was purely do to his smooth-talking silver-tongue that he was not killed. The Captain of the ship, a man named Roberts, took the Spaniard on as his valet, and Tulio did his best to learn all he could about the ship and it's crew in order to keep them happy his neck out of a nose. It paid off eventually and he and Roberts became good friends, making Tulio his first mate. Within a years time, Tulio had collected a small fortune in gold and jewels. It was everything he had ever wanted, all he had ever coveted. Gold, respect, power…and yet it all meant nothing to him. For all the treasure he had, he began to long for a different kind of gold. The kind that you could run your fingers through, the kind that shone in the bright sun-light and hung down in those wide, beautiful, innocent and laughing green eyes…

It was that Tulio realized how much he needed Miguel. How much he had always needed him. Until that precise moment, the black-haired Spaniard had never realized just how much the other man had meant to him. But now, suddenly all things seemed pointless without his smile, without him standing there beside him going on for hours about the adventures they would have. 

His heart on fire with a new mission, Tulio retired from piracy, as it was a rather dangerous line of work, and settled down again in Spain. He bought himself a small house, big enough to be comfortable, but not too lavish, even though it was filled with all the comforts he could ever want. Having established himself, he set out then on his quest, one he vowed to follow until it was complete or he died. He would find Miguel.

So imagine his surprise when he had been crossing the square, only to brush shoulders with a stranger, and turn and find the very object of his desire standing right there in front of him.

Tulio stood there, staring, barely daring to blink or breath, afraid if he did the image before him would disappear again. Miguel seemed to be having much the same reaction. He stood there, rooted to the spot, holding Altivo's reigns in a limp hand, eyes wide and staring, mouth agape.

"Miguel…" Tulio spoke at last, a smile breaking across his face as he took a few steps towards him, reaching out a hand to touch him. He wanted to clasp the other man to him and hold him forever, and never let him go again. It took all his self-control and restraint to keep from doing just that.

"It's you…" Miguel breathed as Tulio came towards him, resting a hand on his shoulder, which trembled at the contact. It was then that Tulio got a good look at Miguel, a real, close up look at him. His eyes had gone rather dull, full of sadness and fatigue. Dark rings had appeared underneath them and his cheeks seemed more hollow than before. His body was ragged, his clothes torn and dirty, and he was thin. Much, much, too thin. Tulio could only imagine what the other man had been through.

"It's just so good to see you," he said then, unable to stop the smile that was splitting across his face. 

"Oh it is…it…is, but…" Miguel's voice was winding steadily down. "I'm took weak for surprises" were the last sounds he got out before he fainted from fatigue and wine and no food and bad sleep and sheer shock.

Tulio caught the other man in his arms as he collapsed against him, and lifted him up into his arms, then hoisted the two of them onto Altivo, Miguel seated limply in front of him. Altivo whinnied and snorted giving Tulio a look to say "It's good to see you again." as plainly as if he had said it. Tulio chuckled and patted the horse's mane. "It's good to see you too, horse." he said as they trotted off to Tulio's house.

*** 

Tulio carried Miguel inside and placed him upstairs in his own bed, telling his butler to take care of Altivo and make sure he was cleaned and fed and given a place to stay in the stable. With that taken care of, he rushed down stairs into the kitchen and made some tea, carried it upstairs, and force-fed Miguel. Within a few minutes the blonde-Spaniard was blinking up at him.

"It's just so good to see you," Tulio said as if they had never missed a beat in their conversation before. 

"Oh it is, it is," Miguel agreed trying to sit up. "and I'm sorry for fainting on you, but I haven't eaten in nearly a week and a half, and a surprise like seeing you, well, that was just too much for me on an empty stomach. But I'm fine now." he insisted. He glanced around him then at the exquisite looking bedroom he was lying in. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is my house." Tulio replied.

"You're house you say…" was all Miguel managed before he fainted again. Tulio shook his head and pulled off Miguel's worn shoes, noting that they had rather large holes in the toe and in the soles and moved him so that he could rest more comfortably and pulled a blanket over him. "Rest." he said, laying a hand on the other man's forehead before leaving him to sleep.

Tulio busied himself in the kitchen, preparing dinner, despite the protests of his housemaid, who usually did all the cooking. It was the unexpected smell of a hot meal that woke Miguel an hour later and he came stumbling down the stairs.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Tulio demanded as he brought out a tray of stew and rice and more tea for his friend. Miguel sank into a chair at the table, waving away Tulio's comment. 

"I feel strong enough now, really." he insisted as Tulio sat the food in front of him. 

"Eat." was all he said, and Miguel obeyed, and began devouring it like a hungry dog. Tulio seated himself a cross from his friend, staring at him with a small, disbelieving smile on his face.

At last Miguel looked up at him, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. "Why are you staring at me?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," Tulio apologized. "It's just…I can hardly believe you're here."

Miguel smiled lightly, sighing. "I never realized I was in such terrible condition," he admitted.

"You'll be a strong as you ever were by tomorrow." Tulio replied. Miguel nodded, finishing the last of his meal and then slowly got to his feet, looking rather nervous. "Well…thank you for the meal, I appreciate it. I'd best be on my way…"

Tulio leapt out of his chair as though he'd sat on a needle and grabbed hold of Miguel's thin wrist, holding it in an iron grip. "Wait!" he cried with more emotion than he had meant to. 

Miguel stared at him, blushing slightly at the contact. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and Miguel was surprised to find that there was pure fear in Tulio's dark blue eyes. But it was gone as quickly as it had come, and Tulio collected himself, nervously smoothing back his hair. "I mean, you only just got here." he amended.

"I wouldn't want to be a burden." Miguel replied.

"No, no, no! Not at all! Me casa est su casa and all that!" Tulio said, throwing his arm around Miguel's shoulders and leading him over to a lounge sofa. "Please, please, stay?"

Miguel allowed himself a small smiled and nodded. "I suppose I could spare a day or so." he said, trying to sound nonchalant. Tulio nodded and sat across from him once more, smiling nervously.

Miguel's eyes wandered around the lavish house before turning once more to Tulio. "So…this is all yours? How could you ever afford it?" he asked.

"Oh, a little money here and there." Tulio replied. Miguel shook his head, and then…his eyes dropped to the floor. "So…where's Chel?" he asked, although he really did not want to know. He was very surprised then hear Tulio laugh loudly.

"Beats me. She left shortly after you did. I haven't seen her since. It never could have lasted, I realized. We were too much alike, and there was never any REAL love involved. It's probably for the best." he replied. The Miguel of two years ago would have laughed too, he would have rubbed it in his face, he would have said he got what he deserved, for taking that girl's lust over his love. But he simply said, "I'm sorry, Tulio."

A moment of awkward silence passed between the two friends, and Tulio sat, his hands nervously twitching in his lap as he gazed at Miguel. His shoulders were slumped, and his eyes were blood-shot. His entire posture spoke of nothing but fatigue. Tulio wanted to hold him, to care for him, to take all the weariness off him and make him feel alive again. But his pride much too big of an obstacle to do that just yet.

"You're doing it again." Miguel said, bringing him out of his reviver.

"I'm sorry," Tulio began, but Miguel waved it away. "I know, I know. It's good to see you too." he replied, his eyes having some of that old sparkle that they used to. Tulio nodded, and then was silent for another moment. Summoning all his courage he asked the one question that had been burning inside him for two years now.

"Where have you been?" 

What he meant to say was "Why did you leave" but for now "where have you been" was just as good. Miguel took a deep breath, and pushed his golden tresses out of his face, eyes turning skyward. "Well…" he began.

For the next hour and a half Miguel related all his adventures to Tulio, about how he had picked up fencing and how he had become the undisputed champion, and how he had just been wandering from country to country learning from the masters. Of course, Miguel left out several "minor details" to his tale a) why he had left in the first place, b) His vow never love again after his heart had been broken by Tulio, and c) why he had returned to Spain in the first place.

Tulio listened to all of it in fascination, until Miguel finally concluded with the two of them passing each other in the square. 

"Fascinating…you've done nothing but two years but learning to fence?!" he gasped.

"Yes, that and getting drunk, but mostly fencing, yes." Miguel concluded. Tulio laughed then, a loud, long, happy laugh, which was something no one had heard from him in a long time. Miguel was surprised himself by how much the sound elated him and gave him strength. Then Tulio stood, taking hold of Miguel's shoulders as he stood up too. "You're tired."

Miguel smiled, "I never could hide anything from you, could I?" he said as Tulio lead him upstairs once more, this time taking him into the guest room.

"You can change over there," Tulio said motioning to a Chinese styled dressing blind on which a night shirt had been laid out for Miguel. The blonde-Spaniard nodded and slipped behind it, tossing his clothes over top of the blind as Tulio collected them. "If you don't mind, I can have Maria mend and wash your clothes for you. They're looking a little worse for wear." he said. 

"As you wish." Miguel replied from behind the blind, emerging a moment later in the sleeping shirt which was the same style as his own red one, only white. He wore nothing underneath it however since it drooped close to his knees.

Tulio adverted his eyes, a tinge of red in his cheeks, though he couldn't quite understand why. It wasn't as though he hadn't seen Miguel naked before. "If you need anything, my room is right across the hall." he said, gathering Miguel's shoes as well.

"Where's Altivo?" Miguel asked then as he sat on the edge of the large feather bed.

"He's in my stable, don't worry." Tulio replied. But in actuality Altivo was standing outside right under the open bedroom window, munching on a carrot and ease-dropping. 

Miguel nodded, and Tulio turned to leave. "Wait, Tulio!" Miguel said then, making the other man freeze for a moment and then turn.

"Yes?" he asked.

"You know my story. Now where have you been?" he asked.

Tulio smiled, "It's a long story, and one that will keep till morning. You need rest." he replied.

"Oh, but I'm sure it would make a wonderful bedtime story." Miguel said, patting the spot next to him as he sprawled himself across the bed. Tulio took a seat instead on the changing stool next to the bed, and began his long adventurous tale.

Miguel listen intently to everything Tulio had to say, just hearing his voice again made him feel stronger. But he noticed that Tulio's sudden retirement seemed a bit…unexplained. This was of course, because Tulio didn't say that he had left to look for Miguel. 

"And well…you know the rest." he finished with a little shrug. 

"What an adventure." Miguel said in awe. Tulio grinned, and then stood up again, taking a stern appearance. 

"Now, sleep. I insist." he said. Miguel nodded and had no sooner laid his head on the pillow than he fell into an exhausted sleep. Tulio draped the blankets over him again and turned to leave, but found himself stuck to the spot. He had an unexplainable fear that if he should leave that room, Miguel would disappear again, this time maybe forever. He seemed so fragile, so frightened. Tulio was afraid if he even breathed wrong he would run away from him again. 

Fear getting the better of him, Tulio changed into more comfortable clothes and slipped back into Miguel's bedroom, taking a seat in a large chair in the corner of the room facing the bed. He would sleep here for the night. But sleep was a long time in claiming him as he gazed at the sleeping figure in the bed, and Tulio felt hot tears stinging his eyes. "Please, God…let him still be there when I wake up in the morning." he prayed quietly before finally drifting off himself.

Outside, Altivo shook his head. The horse knew those two better than they knew themselves. It was frustrating to the creature, knowing that the one thing that they needed to say to each other was all that they needed to make amends for everything in their past, but knowing that they were both to stupid, afraid, foolish, prideful to say it.

He snorted in disgust, bowing his long grey mane out of his eyes and munching on some more oats. They'll figure it out eventually.


	3. Miguel

CHAPTER THREE: MIGUEL

It was nearly mid-day before Miguel stirred from his sleep. He lifted his head from the soft feather pillow, and glanced groggily around the room. Then recognition of last night all came flooding back to him and he quickly looked to the door. Much to his surprise, he found Tulio sitting fast asleep in a large comfortable chair, mouth hanging open, head drooped against his chest, snoring loudly.

Miguel smiled and shook his head, climbing out of bed and heading over to him, and gently shaking him awake. "Tulio?" he asked as the other man blinked into consciousness, licking his dry lips.

"Huh? Eh?" he murmured. Miguel laughed at him.

"Wake up you lazy lout, it's almost noon. How you been here all night?" he asked.

Tulio stared up at him, and was so relieved that he was still here that he lost himself for a minute and wrapped his arms around him, crushing him against his chest. "You're still here…" he breathed.

Miguel's pale face turned a shade of crimson against Tulio's shoulder, and shaking slightly he put his arms around Tulio as well, briefly, but fiercely, and then gently pulled away, smiling. "Of course, silly. Do you think I would have lit out in the middle of the night?" he asked as though the idea were simply absurd. However, it was what had happened before.

Tulio shrugged, standing up, stretching and cracking his neck, which was sore from sleeping up-right. "Well, how about some breakfast? I'm starving." he said, taking Miguel's hand and dragging him towards the door. The fact that Miguel had staid had emboldened him, and he was no longer afraid to reach out to his friend and show him he still cared, even if he couldn't show him how MUCH he still cared just yet.

Miguel stopped him at the door way, "Hold on, Tulio!" he gasped. "Would you mind if I put some pants on first?" he laughed.

Tulio glanced down, remembering that Miguel was in night clothes and laughed. "Oh of course! Just come down when you're ready." Tulio said, leaving him at the door as Miguel clothed it quietly. He leaned against it for a long moment, biting his lip.

"Oooh, Miguel old boy…what are you doing? You can't do this, you can't just let him brush it all under the rug like this." he berated himself, feeling frantic. He was suddenly torn between the overwhelming urge to stay with Tulio and his fear of allowing himself to get hurt again. He had been reunited with his old partner for less than a day and already he was falling in love all over again. 

He tugged on his pants, which were newly mended, as well as his shirt, and he found that they had replaced his shoes completely. Then he crept silently to the window, peering out of it. Altivo stood below, dozing in the warm afternoon sun on a bed of straw.

"Altivo!" Miguel called in a loud whisper getting the horse's attention. He looked up at Miguel and whinnied, saying "Good morning!"

"Altivo, we've got to get out of here. Come on, stand still, I'll jump." he called quietly. The horse stared at him blankly for a moment and then rolled his eyes. He wasn't about to let Miguel make this mistake. So he got up, just as Miguel expected him too, but then backed far away from the wall.

"Altivo, what are you doing? Come here, old boy, I need to leave!" Miguel called again. Altivo stood his ground, staring up at Miguel.

"Oh you stupid horse, I said come here!" he said a little louder this time. 

Altivo let out a loud horsey laugh and turned up his nose at Miguel in defiance.

"Altivo, this is no time for games, now get over here!" Miguel yelled this time. Altivo shook his head. Suddenly Miguel heard a knock at his door.

"Miguel are you coming?" Tulio's voice practically sang from the other side. Miguel looked desperately at Altivo.

"You don't understand, I can't face him, Altivo, I can't!" Miguel continued in a whisper once more to the horse.

"Yes you can" the horse's eyes said quite plainly. Miguel scowled. "Who's side are you on, anyway?" he muttered as Tulio knocked again.

The horse laughed at him.

"I'm coming!" Miguel called, his escape plan foiled and he reached the door. Tulio was standing there beaming at him. "Well come on, then partner! It's getting cold!" he said brightly.

Miguel felt a pang of pain in his heart at those words, but he pushed them aside, and followed Tulio downstairs. Breakfast consisted of fried eggs with chopped peppers and oranges and fresh-baked bread.

As the two of them ate, Tulio noticed that Miguel seemed to be rather fidgety, which usually meant that he needed to tell him something but was just working on how to say it. He decided it might speed up the process if he prompted him.

"Is there something on your mind?" he asked.

Miguel stared up at him, looking startled. "Oh, uh…" he started, gritting his teeth and looking away. Tulio knew that look all too well. He was in trouble. "Tulio, there's something you don't know." he said quickly, glancing around nervously. 

Tulio raised an eyebrow and blinked at him curiously. "Go on…"

"You see," Miguel sighed, "I'm sort of…on the run." he admitted at length.

"From the law? That's no surprise, we're…I mean, you were always on the run, Miguel." he said.

"It's not the law that wants me. It's a Protégées noble-woman." Miguel at said in a strained voice. "You see…she's sort of my fiancée." 

A moment of silence followed by an Earth-shattering; "YOUR _WHAT?!!!?" _

Miguel flinched away from shouting, looking positively miserable. Tulio was standing up now, leaning over the table, staring at the golden-haired man. He felt angry, more angry than he'd ever felt at Miguel. His fiancée!? How could he have a fiancée!? How dare he come back into his life, with the promise of rebuilding what they had, and tell him he had fiancée!!

But slowly reason sunk in and Miguel had said that he was on the run from her. Obviously then it hadn't been a mutual agreement. Miguel was looking at him like a child who had just broken his mother's priceless china and was about to get beaten for it. He forced himself to calm down, smoothing back his hair as he always did and slowly sitting down again, looking composed and calm, albeit serious.

"You see, it all happened quite by accident," Miguel began without having to be prompted this time. "I was in Portugal, having come more or less full circle in my travels. Altivo and I were wandering along the streets, looking for prospective opponents as usual, and I happened to come across this procession of noblemen all headed to church. 

"I decided to follow them, not having been in a church in a long time myself. It was then that I noticed a little scrawny kid that was tailing the procession as well. I realized then that he was a pick-pocket, and not a very experience one because he went right for the Duke's purse. Well naturally the little whelp got caught, and…Tulio they were going to kill him! They tried to run him through, right there in front of the church!" Miguel cried passionately, and Tulio nodded in understanding, gesturing for his partner to continue. "Well, of course I jumped to the rescue and disarmed the Duke after only a few moments. I said something like 'How dare you strike at a defenseless child, sir! You're battle is with me!' and well, his daughter, Her names was Margarita, I believe, was so impressed with me that she demanded her father forgive my impudence, and well they invited me to sit with them at mass, so I did, and then they invited me to supper, and then to a dance and by the end of the night she was confessing her undying love to me and demanding that I marry her!" he gasped, breathlessly.

It took Tulio a moment process all of what Miguel had just told him, for he had a habit when he was excited to talk very quickly, so that now as he finished he was gasping for breath and gulping down his water. 

"I…wow…I…that's insane!" Tulio concluded finally. "And what did you tell her?" he asked then.

"I told her simply that I was a man of the road and that certainly there were men more worthy than me of her love and so regretfully I had to decline." Miguel replied. "She didn't take that very well. In fact, she told everyone that I had proposed to her, even though I had not, and had me taken back to her villa and locked in my room. I escaped of course, and well…here I am." he concluded. 

"You really ARE on the run then, aren't you?" Tulio asked.

"Ugh. Her father is the best huntsmen in all Europe. He's hunting me down as we speak, so I dare not stay in one place too long." Miguel concluded.

"Understandably. But I'm not letting you out of my sight." Tulio said.

Miguel stared at him. "What?"

"Miguel, it's been two years. And frankly, life simply hasn't been the same without you. It's been…ugh, I hate to say it…boring. I've missed you. I want you to stay, I want to be partners again, I want to love you like I should have before…"

Of course Tulio didn't say this last part, but his mind did. However, even without the last sentence, it was enough to bring Miguel to tears and into Tulio's arms.

"Oh Tulio, yes! Yes, of course, of course!" he laughed and cried all at once. Perhaps he didn't have Tulio's love, but he had his friendship. That would have to sustain him for now, until he gathered his strength to tell him what he really wanted.

They drew back, grinning at each other. But then Miguel's smile fell and he looked worried.

"What's wrong?" Tulio asked.

"Oh, Tulio…I…I can't stay here, she'll find me! If she finds me, I'll have no choice, I'll HAVE to marry her!" Miguel cried, waving his arms wildly. 

This was indeed a problem. Tulio rubbed his chin, trying to think. Miguel was right, they couldn't stay in Madrid forever, they would be too easy to track. And then an idea struck him. "I have a plan!" he said, and Miguel's face lit up just like it used to. "There's a ship, leaving for the America's in a little less than a month from now. We'll get on it. We'll go back to El Dorado!" he cried.

Miguel's jaw dropped to his knees. He was the one that supposed to say stupid, impulsive, outlandish things like that, not Tulio. "But…but, Tulio, the cities sealed, we don't have the map, we--" he began, but Tulio put a finger to his lips to silence him and Miguel flushed again.

"Ah, ah! You remember the way, don't you? Besides you know as well as I do, there has to be more than one way into the city, even if the others don't know about it." he said.

Miguel began to get that excited gleam in his eyes, talking feverishly. "Oh Tulio, one last adventure? This incredible! I thought I would be spending the rest of my days wandering aimlessly with no hope and no point and then…and then out of the blue you come and rescue me, just like always!" he cried. Tulio laughed, after the state he had found him in, it was wonderful see Miguel acting like his old self.

"Partner?" Tulio asked, extending his hand. Miguel stopped his ramblings and stared at the hand in front of him. If he did this, he would be risking everything he had fought to preserve. But if he didn't…he may never get another chance. 

His hand found Tulio's and they shook hard. "Partner."


	4. No Matter What

CHAPTER FOUR: NO MATTER WHAT

Two weeks had gone by now, and the two ex-conmen had begun to establish normalcy and to rebuild what they had once had. There were no more escape attempts from Miguel. He trusted Tulio enough now to believe that should the Count and his daughter come looking for him he would protect him. But despite the mending friendship, Miguel could not hide the scars that Tulio had left on him. He thought perhaps by staying he could learn to live as he had before, pretending the deep longing he had for the black-haired man didn't exist, but it was all but impossible, and he was sure Tulio was getting suspicious after catching Miguel more than once stealing long wistful glances at him when he though he wasn't looking, finding any excuse to touch him or be touched by him, and feeling insanely jealous when women on the street would stare at him. This was of course, not to mention the nights they spent together. Every night, as regular as clock work, Miguel would wake, climb out of bed, and go to Tulio's door and press himself against it, trying to summon the courage to knock or go inside. But the door was always locked, so Miguel would simply stand there, leaning against the hard wood, wishing it were Tulio. After a few minutes of pining and silent tears and self-loathing, he would return to bed and sleep.

What Miguel didn't know was that Tulio had was doing the exact same thing, waking just after Miguel had returned to bed and fallen asleep once more only to stand and have the same midnight vigil at his door. 

One afternoon, the two found themselves sitting on the stoop at the local tavern. They were reminiscing over old times and the scams they used to pull, and the hair-raising escapes. It was then that Tulio asked, after a few glasses of wine, "Why did you ever leave in the first place?" 

Miguel blinked and stared at him. It was an unexpected question, not to mention one he didn't care to answer at the moment. The pain was still just too close. "It's not important." was all he said.

Tulio looked at him in astonishment. "Not important!? Don't lie to me!" Tulio slurred, his dark blue eyes rather blood-shot.

Miguel shook his head and stood up, dropping a few coins on the table and started over to help Tulio out of his chair. "Come on now, partner. I think you've had enough." he said gently, but Tulio pulled away from him.

"I'll tell you when I've had enough! Now you tell me why you left me high and dry without so much as a goodbye." Tulio continued to rant. Miguel managed to pull him out the chair and loop his arm around his shoulders, leading him away from the table.

"I can't tell you that." Miguel said honestly.

"Bullshit." Tulio grunted as they left the tavern. 

"Tulio, you're very drunk. You should just come along now, I'll take you home." Miguel said again as they walked slowly around the back of the tavern where Altivo was waiting for them.

"I'm not nearly drunk enough!" Tulio cried, and this time he pulled out of Miguel's arms all together and stood, as best he could, glaring at him. "You did it because you were jealous, didn't you?" he spat. Miguel was frozen on the spot. "You were jealous of me and her. You wanted her all for yourself, didn't you?" Tulio slurred, shaking a finger at Miguel.

"You're an idiot." Miguel growled then, feeling anger rising up inside him. Drunk or not, Tulio had no right to accuse him of such things. Especially since he was so grossly far from the truth.

"And you're a lair!" Tulio retorted.

"I never loved Chel." Miguel said fiercely.

"Are not capable of love, that's what you mean." Tulio replied.

That did it. Miguel charged him, grabbing him by the collar and hoisting him into the air, slamming him against the wall. Tulio's eyes were huge as he stared down at Miguel. He had never seen that expression on his face. Pure rage and anger, and something else too…

"I have loved more deeply than a cold-hearted thief like you could ever dream!" he shouted in his face. Now it was Tulio's turn to snap.

He back-handed Miguel hard in the face, making him let go of him and he slid down the wall, landing on his rear.

Miguel staggered away, rubbing his face, and then turned away and said nothing for a long time. The quarrel seemed to have brought Tulio to a higher level of awareness because he stood up then, looking very, very sorry. "Miguel…I didn't mean it." he said, his voice not so heavily slurred then. 

Miguel did not turn around. If Tulio could have seen his face, he would have seen that his cheeks were now damp with tears. But even if Tulio couldn't see it, Altivo could, and the horse trotted up to his owner, sympathetically nuzzling his face. Tulio watched as Miguel clung onto the beast and buried his face against his muzzle. Altivo shot him a look that was full of daggers, and he knew he had cut Miguel deeply.

"Damn it!" he cursed loudly, banging his head against the brick wall. "I'm such an ass!" he berated himself. Now Miguel chanced a side long glance at him, his tear effectively dried by Altivo's coat. "Miguel, forgive me, I meant none of it!" he begged, taking the other man's shoulders and turning him towards him. "I'm am an idiot, just as you said, it's true!" he pleaded. "I'm evil and…and I must be stopped!" he continued, this time making Miguel smile a little.

"Then you don't hate me forever?" Tulio asked, looking him in the eyes. Miguel could not help but being honest with him. 

"I tried that once, it worked out badly." he joked, but it was very true.

Tulio hugged him again. "I'm sorry I hit you, did it leave a mark?" he asked, examining the slowly blossoming bruise on Miguel's cheek, making the other man blush once again.

"I've had worse." he said, feeling embarrassed by Tulio's attentions, and taking a step backwards. 

It was then that they saw that they were not alone in the alley way. Another figure appeared, a tall, gaunt, evil looking fellow with little squinting eyes. He smiled at the two men as he approached.

"Evening, gentlemen." he said thickly, looking between Miguel and Tulio. 

"What do you want?" Miguel said abruptly, much to Tulio's surprise. The other man made a sweeping gesture and produced from his pocket a pair of dice. "Care to play?"

Tulio and Miguel exchanged glances. Tulio smiled, "Uh, sorry senor, we don't play." he said, trying to remain on the brute's good side.

"Ah, that's a shame." the other man said. "Because I'll be taking your money anyway." and with that he drew out his sword and pointed at the two men. 

And Miguel smiled. He stepped lightly in front of Tulio, gently pushing him back as he drew his own sword from his side and pressed it against the other man's blade.

"You fence?" the man asked.

"A little." Miguel lied, and he couldn't keep himself from smiling. Tulio retreated further down the alley, standing by Altivo.

"Miguel, be careful!" he called, grabbing onto the horse's reign. Miguel winked at him.

"Begin." he said.

And begin the duel did. Miguel was on the defense immediately as the other man moved towards him in a swift powerful movement, but it was no problem for him to avoid it, and he quickly turned it around on him, forcing him to take defense as he went after him like a lightning bolt.

Tulio stared in awe of Miguel's ability. Truth be told when Miguel had told him he had done nothing but practice fencing for two years he didn't completely believe him, or at least he didn't believe that he was as good as he was. But now he had to believe.

However, first blood went the stranger. His blade grazed over Miguel's left wrist. It was just a small cut, but it was bleeding. Tulio clenched Altivo's reigns so hard that he pulled the poor horse's head down till it was level with his chest. 

But Miguel barely even noticed it and kept attacking, never letting up. No matter what the stranger did now, he could not keep Miguel from advancing upon him. Finally was driven back against the wall, with Miguel's sword crossed with his own at his throat. 

"Who are you!?" the stranger cried.

"No one of importance." 

"I must know!"

"Get used to disappointment." Miguel said with a little grin, and with a quick flick of his wrist he sent the other man's sword flying.

"Do it quickly." the man pleaded with him, falling to his knees.

"Not my intention. However, since I can't have you following us, either…" Miguel said, cuffing him across the back of the head with the back of his sword and allowing him to slump senselessly to the floor.

He sheathed his rapier and then turned towards Tulio, who, along side Altivo, stood there with his eyes huge and unbelieving, mouth hanging open.

"What?" Miguel asked innocently.

"You…You're amazing!!" Tulio cried rushing to him then, dragging Altivo behind him while the horse rolled his eyes clearly saying "Of course he is…"

"Thank you. I have worked hard to become so." Miguel said simply. "Lets go home then, eh?" he asked, leaping upon Altivo's back, pulling Tulio on behind him. It was then that he noticed the blood on his partner's wrist.

"You're hurt!" he gasped.

Miguel blinked down at the cut. "What? Oh, it's only a scratch," he said lightly.

"But you're bleeding!" Tulio cried frantically, as though Miguel's hand had been chopped clear off. The blonde-haired man remember that his friend was still fairly intoxicated and Tulio always became over emotional when he was drunk. He pulled his hair ribbon from his hair, letting his hair fall losely down his back and across his shoulders and wrapped Miguel's wound with it gingerly. 

"There," he said. "All better." Then inadvertently he kissed Miguel's cheek and promptly passed out against his shoulder. In a slight, dizzyingly happy daze, Miguel reached up and touched the little spot where Tulio had kissed him, and then looked down at his inebriated friend, securing his arms around his waist so he wouldn't fall, then patted Altivo's mane. "Home, Altivo." he said giving him a light nudge with his foot.


	5. Run Away FROM the Bride

CHAPTER FIVE: RUN AWAY _FROM_ THE BRIDE

Finally their long wait had ended. It was only a day before the two Spaniards would be leaving for the New World and El Dorado, leaving all their troubles behind. Tulio had given his house to the care of his cousin and the few servants he kept, selling off anything he didn't need to make a little more money for the journey.

The two were having dinner together that evening as usual, feeling happy and excited about the upcoming adventure, when there was a sudden knock on the door. Miguel stood up, "I'll get it!" he called rushing over to it and pulling it open a crack. On the doorstep stood a tall bearded man and next to him a young woman, very beautiful with bright red-hair and olive skin, and several hand-maidens, all dressed very finely. The Count and his daughter.

Miguel was only fortunate they had been arguing quietly when he had opened the door and did not see his face, for before they could look up he slammed the door in their faces, plastering himself against it, eyes wide in panic.

Tulio jumped up from his chair, astonished at his friend's behavior. "Miguel, what are you--?"

"HIDE ME!!" Miguel screamed, darting towards him, grabbing hold of his shirt. "It's them! It's her, they're here!" he gasped.

Tulio blinked slowly in understanding and then panicked as well because they were knocking on the door again, this time shouting "You there! Let us in!"

"Upstairs, quickly, don't make a sound!" Tulio cried, practically throwing Miguel up the stairs just as the Count opened the door for himself.

"I say!" he gasped, glaring at Tulio who stood there grinning nervously like a moron while Miguel thudded upstairs. 

"Welcome, welcome, how may I help you?" Tulio smoothed over quickly.

The Count's daughter and her hand-maidens glanced at him curiously. "Weren't there two of you?" she asked.

"No, just me…and the chicken." Tulio replied, still grinning idiotically. 

"I am Count Ferdinand, this is my daughter Margarita. We are sorry to intrude, but we are looking for a man, about ye big, with blonde-hair and a white war-horse. Claims to be the best swordsman in all the world." The Count said in an unbemused voice, glancing towards the ceiling as he heard more crashing and bumping, followed by a loud curse.

"Oh please, don't mind my servant, you see, he's a little off in the head, poor man, and meeting strangers rather upsets him." Tulio tried to explain, but it was very obvious that the Count wasn't buying it. "Ladies, let us search the premises." he said as his daughter and the others moved forward.

Tulio followed them worriedly, the Count standing next to him, keeping him from interfering as the four women tore about the house, looking in every possible hiding spot. Margarita herself found her way into Miguel's bedroom, looking around.

"Come out, come out wherever you are darling, Miguel!" she cooed. From his hiding spot Miguel winced visibly. Tulio stood in the doorway, looking frantic as she more or less tore the room apart. However, she was not clever enough to see eight little finger tips clinging to the windowsill outside…

Hi there, it's me the author. Sorry to interrupt but we've neglected to explain a very important character in the story, I.E. Margarita. So for the sake of the plot, let me take two seconds here to recap about Margarita and Miguel…

Margarita was a very spoiled child to begin with, being the one and only daughter of Count Ferdinan and his wife. From the time she was born she her every little whim was obeyed, so that by the time she was twelve years old it had become common knowledge that whatever Margarita wanted, Margarita got. 

Like her mother, she was a very beautiful girl, dark-skinned, with long luscious red-hair, dark alluring brown eyes, shapely. Her lips were always painted perfect red, and she was always dressed in the most exquisite gowns available. She did have excellent taste after all. For the most part she spent her days sleeping on silk, and eating on gold, and toying with whatever noble-men happened to grace himself with her presence.

That was, until she met Miguel. The blonde-haired, green eyed, Spaniard was so crude, so brash, so dashing, and so incredibly brave to have stood up to not only her but her father and defy them to their faces without so much as a speck of fear. It intrigued Margarita, for it was said that women always wanted what they could not have. So she had invited him to mass with them, the dinner, then dancing, and with each passing minute the strange man who called himself Miguel perked her interest more and more until she simply could not stand it, she simply had to have him.

Oh she did not love him, no, for Margarita barely knew that emotion. It was somewhat of a stretch even to say that she was infatuated with him. He was simply the thing of the moment and she had to have him.

So imagine her rage when he told her quite simply "no."

No one had ever dared tell Margarita "no" in her entire life. It infuriated her and excited her all at the same time. She he lied to her father, claimed that the man had confessed his undying love, and then had him locked in his room, planning to marry him the next day. No one said no to Margarita Ferdinand.

Of course, then he had escaped, and she was even more furious and even more excited then before. And with her father being the best huntsmen in Portugal, and having a little experience herself…the chase was on.

Okay, that explain everything now? Okay, we're gonna move ahead, sorry to slow you down…

Margarita was sure she had him as she bent next to the bed and lifted the blanket, peeking underneath. But there was nothing there. And it had been the last hiding spot in the room. Her handmaidens came to the door then, standing beside Tulio. "He's not anywhere, my lady." they said in unison.

The Portuguese woman turned with cold eyes to Tulio and stormed up to him. Tulio winced away from her glare. "Very well…but we will find him." she muttered, giving him a light slap on the face before turning to her father as they showed themselves out. Tulio didn't breath until they were out of the room and the moment he heard the front door slam shut he turned wildly towards the room again.

"Miguel!?" he cried, looking around frantically.

"Tulio!!" Miguel's voice called from the windowsill and Tulio dashed over, staring down at him. Miguel blinked up at him. "You idiot! What you doing out there?!" he cried, grabbing his hands and hauling him up.

"Is she gone?" Miguel gasped, looking around nervously.

"Yes, yes, she's gone." Tulio assured him. But Miguel still didn't relax. He began pacing the room frantically, pulling at his hair. 

"Oh, Tulio, Tulio, I TOLD you she would find me! What am I gonna do!?" he cried. Tulio slapped him lightly across the face, bringing him out of his shock.

"Miguel, get a hold of yourself!" He said gently but sternly. Miguel nodded dumbly. Now it was Tulio's turn to pace the room, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as Miguel sunk onto his bed.

"They're suspicious, so they'll be back, I'm sure of it. It's definitely not safe to stay here any longer…we'll have to leave tonight." he said at last. "We'll simply go to the docks tonight and hide out there till morning. By the time they figure out where we went we'll have already set sail."

Miguel stood up, grinning profusely. "Oooh, a midnight escape, how exciting!" he cried.

Tulio stared blankly at him. "Focus, Miguel. Focus."

"Right, right," Miguel replied, grabbing his sack from behind the chair which was filled with a few belongs that Tulio had given him and some supplies. "Well what are we waiting for partner!?" he cried as they rushed downstairs, blowing out all the lights as they did and making sure everything was in order.

Then, pulling on cloaks so they wouldn't be as easily recognizable, they climbed aboard Altivo and trotted off into the night.

*** 

As they watched the boat pull away from the docks, all of their cares seemed the melt away in the sea breeze. They were going someplace where the Count couldn't follow them, and returning to the paradise they had lost so long ago. It was a new start, a new beginning, and Tulio was beginning to believe that he and Miguel might be able to make amends yet.

The two sat together one evening a few weeks later, when all the work had been done and they could relax in the quiet of each other's company, staring up at the endless sea of stars high above them. 

"Do you think we'll really be able to find it again, Tulio?" Miguel asked softly as they leaned back against a pile of rope.

"Eh, what's that?" Tulio asked sleepily.

"El Dorado. I mean, it was simple enough before the with map, but…"

"Easy enough, look for some rocks shaped like birds, that stupid Piranha infested river…" Tulio said as he stretched loudly. He looked like a very large cat as he sprawled himself out all over the deck. Miguel nodded, turning his gaze upwards again.

Tulio laid beside him for a long time without saying anything, the glanced carefully at him out of the corner of his eye. "Why did you leave?" he asked once more.

Miguel did not look down at him, but kept staring upwards. He sighed quietly. "I told you before, I can't tell you that." he whispered.

"Why?" Tulio asked, propping himself up on his elbows. 

"I'm not ready to tell you." the other man replied. 

Tulio frowned, but nodded, settling back down again. "I can wait." he said. Miguel laid down beside him then, not close enough to touch, but close enough to feel the body heat from the other man's body. 

"Tell me about one of your adventures, Tulio." he said.

Tulio cocked an eyebrow. "Eh?"

"You know, one of your high sea's adventures as a pirate. I'd love to hear it." Miguel said closing his eyes, resting his head on his hand while the other laid on his chest. 

Tulio thought for a moment, "Well, did I ever tell you about the time we were sailing to France and a terrible storm came up…?" 

Tulio rambled on for hours about his adventures while Miguel listened intently, eyes closed, imagining it all. Neither one of them noticed the strange man sitting on a barrel across the deck, watching them intently, eyes flashing cold and deadly.

*** 

Tulio and Miguel had no idea they were being followed. Nor that the strange man on the barrel was the follower. You see, when the two had made there "daring midnight escape", they did not know that the Count had had one of his men stay behind to make sure that no one left the house. So naturally he followed the two men to the docks and discovered which ship they were boarding. Then he bought his passage aboard, and waited.

His orders were clear. Find Margarita's fiancé, capture him, and bring him back to Portugal. Kill anyone who stood in the way. Before boarding the boat he had sent word to the Count that he had tracked Miguel down, but that he would return him only after they had reached the New World. This of course, infuriated the Count, but this man, who's name was Lorenzo Cervantes, was a man who liked a challenge. If he had wanted to, he could have easily kidnapped Miguel before they ever got on the boat, but that would be much too easy. He liked instead to toy with his victims first, lure them in, make them trust him, play little games with their mind so that they trusted only him and thought it was there friends who were after them, so by the time he actually kidnapped them, they did not even realize it until it was too late.

Judging by the way this character spent so much time with his companion it would be a great deal of fun to toy with him. So he for now he simply sat and watched, and observed, and waited until the time was right to make his move.

*** 

It was a long time before Tulio fell asleep, and when he did, he fell into a deep sleep and a very disturbing dream. He was dressed in very fine attire, and standing along side his old crew from his pirating days, in a large crowd in the town square. There had been a wedding. Tulio peered through the crowd to get a glimpse at the bride and groom.

He was shocked to find that it was Miguel and Margarita. The two exited the church, hand in hand, smiling brightly. Tulio pushed his way through the crowd and ran up to them, taking Miguel's hand.

"Miguel, what have you done?!" he cried.

Miguel looked at him strangely, as though he'd never seen him before. "Who are you?"

"It's me, Tulio! Your partner, remember?" Tulio gasped.

Miguel thought a moment. "Ah, yes, I remember you now! You were that conmen I used to hang around. You abandoned me for that native girl." he said in an amused voice. "Aren't you a very rich pirate now?"

"Yes, Miguel, but that doesn't matter to me anymore! None of that matters! I want to be with you, Miguel, I always have! I love you!" Tulio pleaded, falling on his knees in front of him.

Miguel let out a loud harsh, cruel laugh. "Ha! Love?! What do you know of love, Tulio?" he demanded. "Love is what saved you on Cortez's ship, and in El Dorado! You had love in your hands, and you treated it like garbage!" he shouted.

Tulio backed away, feeling his heart tearing in two with guilt. "I was wrong, Miguel! I'm begging your forgiveness, please! I love you!" he wailed, taking Miguel in his arms then.

"You're love is cold and poisonous. It kills." Miguel growled, before dying in his arms and turning to dust. Tulio screamed, and when he awoke he was still screaming.

Miguel, who had been startled awake by his cry, sat up and grabbed hold of the other man, taking his face in his hands. "Tulio! Tulio, it's alright!" he gasped.

The shrieks died down as he came back to reality, staring at Miguel, who was looking at him worriedly. Then quite suddenly fell sobbing against the other man's chest, clinging to him like a frightened child.

Miguel was surprised to say the least, but simply sat there holding him, running his hand soothingly across Tulio's sweat-dampened hair. "There, there, now…it's alright. It's alright." he cooed.

At last he stopped sobbing and grew quiet against him before looking up at him with bloodshot eyes. "What happened?" Miguel asked.

"I had a bad dream, that's all." Tulio said quietly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked. Tulio hesitated.

"No…but…would you do me a favor?" he asked. Miguel nodded.

"Anything."

"Hold me for a little while? Until I go back to sleep." 

Miguel smiled and laid down again and Tulio rested his head on the other man's shoulder while Miguel's arm looped around him. He leaned over, giving him a light peck on the forehead. "Sweet dreams." he whispered.

***

The next morning the two friends were kicked away by the one of their shipmates, who glared down at them. 

"Ho there!"

"I'm not moving, keep your 'ho there'…" Miguel murmured sleepily, cuddling closer to Tulio.

Another sharp kick had them both awake and staring into the hot morning sun. "Get up and get to work or I'll have you both thrown overboard!" he shouted at them.

The two struggled to their feet and headed down to the mess hall to see if there were any scraps left. But they had already been picked clean.

"Ah well, nothing like working on an empty stomach." Miguel sighed as he grabbed a mop and a bucket and set to work. Tulio had been strangely quiet as he set about his own appointed tasks, and Miguel figured that he was still disturbed from his dream the night before. 

It was then that Lorenzo made himself known. 

He approached Miguel, smiling brightly, holding out an apple. "Here you go, shipmate." he said, handing it to him. "Vittles."

Miguel stared at the apple and then at the man. He was taller than Tulio, and more muscular than himself, with a balding head and a pencil thin mustache. 

"Uh, thank you." Miguel said taking the apple gingerly, examining it. 

"So, what's your story, eh? You running from something or running to something?" he asked.

"Eh, a little bit of both I suppose." Miguel replied, not knowing for sure if he should trust this strange man. 

Lorenzo smiled at him and tossed his head towards where Tulio was, busily mending to a rip in the sail. "Friend of yours?" he asked.

"It's not business of yours." Miguel replied. 

"I saw you two last night, sweet little picture you painted lying there, I'll say." Lorenzo chuckled. Suddenly Miguel's sword tip was between his eyes, daring him to continue. The man stared back at him with cold green eyes. "As I said before, it is no concern of yours, that it isn't."

Lorenzo stared but quickly recovered. "My apologizes, I meant no offense." he said. Miguel lowered his sword and returned it to his place at his side.

Lorenzo stalked off, chuckling to himself. Miguel stood staring after him, feeling more and more apprehensive. Tulio dropped down beside him suddenly, pushing his sweat-dampened hair out of his face. "What was all that about?" he asked lightly.

"Nothing. Here." Miguel said giving him the apple. Tulio ate it without question. Miguel continued to stare after the other man, who had disappeared below deck. 

"Whatchu lookinat?" Tulio asked through a mouthful of fruit, following Miguel's gaze. 

"Tulio, I'm not entirely sure this crew can be trusted. I think we should keep to ourselves, and not discuss our…plans, as it were." Miguel said in a low, serious voice. Tulio blinked.

"That's an oddly wise thing for you to say. Are you sure this heat hasn't gotten to you?" he asked, lying a hand to Miguel's forehead, who waved it away. He went to take another bite of the apple only to find that Altivo had taken it right out of his hand while he wasn't looking. He glared at the horse.


	6. Ship Wrecked

CHAPTER SIX: SHIPWRECKED

Miguel had been quite right about the crew of their ship, none of them could be trusted any farther than they could throw them. This was, of course, due to the fact that Lorenzo had been spreading very vicious lies about Miguel and Tulio, or rather, truths that did not need to be known; that they knew the way to El Dorado.

The promise of a city of gold is of course enticing to anyone, but when you add greed on top of it all, it made for a rather treacherous lot. Worst of all, more than once the two of them had found Lorenzo spying on them, often when he thought they were asleep, and following them about the deck during the day. He would usually corner Miguel in some hole in the ship, asking, badgering, prodding at him for any little bit of information.

"You know, messmate," he began one afternoon when he had cornered Miguel below deck cleaning tables. "That partner of yours, Tulio…I hear he used to be a pirate once." he said.

Miguel attempted to ignore him and move away, but the bigger man suddenly had him by the shoulder. "You know what they say about pirates, don't ya? They're untrustworthy, covetous villains, they are. Are you sure he's really your friend? Or is he just using you to get the gold?"

Miguel pushed him away this time, glaring at him hard. "Listen, Lorenzo, and listen carefully because it's the last time I'll say it, Tulio is my partner, I trust him with my life, he was never a pirate, and there is no gold, NO EL DORADO!" he cried.

"I know you're lying…" Lorenzo hissed, lifting Miguel off the floor and throwing him into the wall. "I know who you are, and I know WHAT you are. And I know that he doesn't love you, and he never will!" 

A slash of red appeared across Lorenzo's chest, and then across his face, another in his leg. Miguel slid to the floor as the bigger man stared at his wounds. He hadn't even seen Miguel draw his sword. He toppled over as his leg gave out, and Miguel ran up the stairs to the deck, slamming the door behind him.

Tulio saw him coming from across the deck, and he felt a knot twist in his stomach. "Miguel…" he began, but Miguel ran right past him, charging into the Captain's quarters. 

"Captain!" he cried, only to find to his surprise that his quarters were empty. He looked around frantically, looking back towards the deck to see the crew slowly coming towards him, Lorenzo bringing up the rear, dragging something behind his back.

"Looking for this?" he asked, tossing forward the Captain's limp form. Miguel looked fearfully at them as Tulio came to his side.

"Miguel, what's going on?" he gasped.

"They want the map." Miguel replied, taking out his sword again and brandishing it.

"But we don't have the map!" Tulio cried.

"You know that, and I know that. But they don't know that." Miguel replied as the seedy band of mutineers came closer towards them.

"We're going to string you up like sails in the wind if you don't give us that map!" cried the crew, holding a length of rope enough to make a noose. The others came closer, all brandishing guns and daggers and long swords. Tulio clutched Miguel's arm as he looked up to the sky. It had begun turn dark and grey suddenly and their was the rumbling of thunder in the distance. A storm was upon them.

"How many can you fight?" Miguel asked to his partner.

"What?" Tulio cried. "Ten at the most…and I don't have a weapon so make that five." 

"That leave fifteen for me and still five more to sneak up and kill us." Miguel murmured. "At my best I could not take all of them."

"Do we surrender and beg for mercy?" Tulio asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Not a chance." Miguel replied, charging forward with a loud yell as Tulio followed swiftly behind. They fought bravely, dispatching a few men, and knocking others overboard, but in the end they were overcome.

***

The storm had broke now, soaking everything with cold chilling rain, making the seas heave and toss below the boat.

Miguel and Tulio were bound hand and foot, and held upon the deck while the crew rigged up a makeshift noose for them. They did not know that Lorenzo had no intention of killing Miguel, only Tulio. Miguel was worth far more alive.

"It was nice working with you again, partner." Tulio said to Miguel as they yanked him to his feet and lead him towards the mast.

"Tulio!" Miguel shouted, struggling against his bonds. "No, take me first!" he shouted to Lorenzo. The older man cuffed Miguel hard. 

"Sorry, senor, you are worth more to me alive. The Count will not pay me if you are damaged." he said. Miguel's eyes burned with hate.

"YOU BASTARD!" he screamed. But his eyes turned once more to Tulio as they looped the nose around his thin neck, making sure it was tight enough.

"Miguel!" Tulio cried, "I have something to tell you, before I die…" he gasped.

"Tulio, no…" Miguel said, struggling harder than ever, tears appearing in his eyes. 

"I---" But Tulio's voice was abruptly cut off as they tightened the rope painfully around his neck and began to hoist him into the air.

"NOO!" Miguel screamed. Then his eyes caught a glimmer of white on the side of the deck. The horse! They had forgotten all about the horse! "ALTIVO!!" he shouted.

Seemingly reading his master's mind, Altivo charged forward, leapt into the air, a bit Tulio's rope clean in half. The Spaniard fell to deck, gasping and choking, holding his throat. The horse rounded then, bucking and kicking, chasing Miguel's captives away from his long enough to bite the ropes from his hand, allowing him to grab his sword to cut the rest of his bonds.

"TO THE DEATH!" he screamed, jumping upon Altivo and charging across the deck, sword slashing. He paused long enough to pull Tulio on behind him, as he cut his remaining bonds.

"Miguel we can't keep this up forever, we've got no where to go!" Tulio gasped as they charged towards the helm. 

"I know that, but what do you want me to do!?" Miguel shouted back at him, spearing another sailor. The waves began to crash dangerously against the side of the boat now, threatening to overturn it. Lightning crackled above and thunder roared, and then the main sail caught fire. It swept down the mast and onto the deck, enveloping it in flames.

"ABANDON SHIP!" The remaining men all headed for life boats or simply jumped overboard, leaving Miguel, Tulio, and Altivo on the doomed ship.

They galloped madly towards the remaining life-boat, ushering Altivo in first, since obviously he could not swim. Tulio climbed in next, and Miguel was about to follow…

When the mast broke in half and came crashing to the deck, throwing Miguel to the ground.

"MIGUEL!" Tulio cried, leaping out of the boat again before it hit the water as Altivo whinnied in panic after him. Miguel was lying sprawled on the deck of the boat, his right leg trapped underneath a piece of the mast that hadn't yet burst into flames. He was groaning painfully and barely flirting with consciousness. Tulio dropped beside him, heaving the heavy wood off him and dragging him up. 

"Miguel, come on we have to get out of here!" Tulio shouted at him over the noise. Miguel screamed as he tried to stand on his feet and then dropped to one knee. But Tulio picked him up again and the two of them free-fell from the side of the boat into the turbulent waters below.

Tulio came up to the surface gasping, dragging Miguel along side him, who was now completely unconscious. He swam hard towards their life boat where Altivo sat waiting for them. The waves picked them up and smacked them into the tiny vessel, and Tulio heaved Miguel over the side with Altivo's help, and then climbed in himself. 

Everyone secured he began to row madly, trying to get as far away from the burning ship as possible. "I would love it if just ONCE we could get to El Dorado WITHOUT having to be stranded in a rowboat!" Tulio cursed himself.


	7. Come What May

CHAPTER SEVEN: COME WHAT MAY

When Tulio woke up, he was surprised to find himself lying across a long sandy beech near the half-over turned remains of their boat. He blinked several times, coming into awareness and slowly sat up rubbing his head. They must have beached some time during the night. He looked around and found Altivo sitting on the shore, watching a crab scuttle by intently. But where was Miguel? Fear gripped Tulio like an iron vice and he was at once on his feet, looking around frantically. Luckily, he didn't have far to look.

Miguel's still figure was lying half in and half out of the water, the bright blue waves lapping at him as he laid sprawled on his back in the mid-day sun. Tulio made a staggering run over to him, dropping down beside him, resting his head in his lap as he pulled him further up the beach.

"Miguel, Miguel, say something for the love God!" he cried, beginning to spaz. Miguel made a painful moan, but didn't open his eyes. Tulip looked down at his leg to find the ankle swollen and black and blue. It was sprained badly, possibly even broken. He took off his vest to make a pillow for Miguel, slipping it gently under his head before darting over to the boat and ripping off two small wooden boards. He took them back over to his friend, and then untucked his shirt, tearing the bottom of it. He then placed the two boards on either side of Miguel's ankle, then wrapped the material around it to make a make-shift splint. 

Miguel's head tossed from side to side as he began to come to, wincing in pain. "Tulio…?" he choked as his partner crawled up beside him, letting his head rest on his lap.

"I'm here." he assured him as the full extent of the pain came rushing back and he hissed loudly, hands clutching Tulio's. 

"My leg!" he yelped.

"I know, I know, try to lie still. I did what I could for it." His partner replied, letting him squeeze his hand, feeling this fingers cracking under the force. 

Miguel laid there, writhing in pain, taking deep breaths to try to keep himself from crying or screaming, and then finally looked up at his friend again. "Did anyone else make it?"

Tulio shook his head, looking out at the ocean in front of them. "I don't think so. It was pretty bad storm, they're probably stranded somewhere if they are alive." But all the same, it wouldn't be wise for them to linger there long. If they had beached there during the night, surely any survivors would too. And he did not want to be there when they got ashore.

"Can you walk at all?" Tulio asked then.

Miguel stared up at him. "My ankle is broken, Tulio, I don't think I can walk on it just yet." He grumbled sarcastically as Tulio eased him into a sitting position, Miguel hissing and wincing the entire time. He looped the other man's arms around his shoulders and pulled him to his feet. Miguel screamed as he put even slightest weight on his injured ankle, threatening to fall again, but Tulio held him up.

"It hurts, Tulio!" Miguel wailed, biting his hand to keep from wailing any louder.

"I understand, but just try to stand on your good foot until I get Altivo over here. You can ride on him." Tulio said, trying to remain calm as he looked around. The horse was still busily following the little crab as it scuttled along the beach.

"Horse!" he shouted. Altivo paid no attention to him.

"His name's not horse, it's Altivo." Miguel scolded him. 

Tulio rolled his eyes, "For Christ's sakes Miguel, he's a horse, not a lap dog."

"Well, you'll hurt his feelings! And besides he doesn't like you much anyway and Ahhhhh!" he cried out again, having bumped his leg against a near-by stone.

"Shh, shh, hold on. Altivo! Get your ass over here!" Tulio shouted, and this time he reluctantly gave up the chase and wandered over to them.

Tulio eased his injured companion up onto the horse, not without much cussing and gasping in pain, and then took Altivo's reigns.

"Alright. Which way?" he asked, more to himself than anyone, staring into the jungle looming ahead. 

"Just go past the rock shaped like the Eagle's head." his partner said from his place on Altivo's back.

Tulio blinked. "There isn't one."

"What?" Miguel asked, peering around. But the other man was right. There was no rock in sight, only the dense jungle. The stream that had been there close by was still there, but the rock was gone.

"I…I don't know. Maybe we landed on the wrong side of it." he said after a moment. Tulio blew the stray strains of raven black hair out of his face in annoyance. "Should have kept the bloody map."

"Well you're the one who ripped it up!" Miguel reminded him.

"Aren't you supposed to be in pain? Huh? You be helpless, and let me…try to find our way out of this mess, alright?" Tulio said.

Miguel smiled, despite the agony in his ankle as he jostled around on Altivo's back.

*** 

It had been hours now, and they were going in circles. Tulio was effectively lost. None of the icons on the map, or at least the ones that Miguel could remember, were visible anywhere. Of course, he would only say "Almost there now," and "Not much further". Normally, Tulio would have quite happily began ranting about how they were hopelessly lost and would most likely die in this God-forsaken jungle, and jaguars would feast on their bleached bones and what-not, but he didn't want to upset Miguel, who already having a hard time.

The pain in his ankle seemed to have redoubled since riding on Altivo, because while it kept the weight off the injury, it sent all the blood rushing down to it, making it swell up more and throb painfully.

For the most part, he had tried to keep his pain to himself, biting his lip, or gritting his teeth and trying to bear with it, but at last it was too much.

"Tulio, I can't go on…" he whimpered painfully then, making his companion stop. 

"But we're almost there," Tulio began, looking back at him, but the look on Miguel's face told him that he didn't care if Cortez's whole frickin fleet was on their heels, he was getting off that horse.

He began to slide down himself, Tulio helping him, catching him half-way as the blonde-haired man let out a blood-curdling scream as his foot struck the ground, hard.

"Shhh, shhhh! Miguel, you'll wake up everything for miles!" Tulio gasped, trying to be heard over Miguel's cries as he finally dissolved into painful tears. 

"Tulio, please! Please, I need something for the pain, for the love of God, please!" he yelped.

"Do I look like a doctor?!" Tulio cried, feeling more and more frustrated. He lifted Miguel into his arms, carrying him over a small little clearing among the foliage, laying him down on a large palm leaf in the shade of the trees. Tulio couldn't stand seeing him in so much pain, but he couldn't concentrate with his partners whimpering and wailing. Suddenly an idea struck him. In El Dorado he had watched a medicine man administer some sleeping drugs to patients. It was made of moss and berries, Tulio could only vaguely remember the ingredients, so he rushed about, leaving Altivo to comfort Miguel as best he could.

He gathered some moss and some bright green leaves off of a nearby bush, remembering that much of the mixture. It was the berries that stumped him. There were only two kinds of them growing nearby, one was bright blue, and other was dark red. The catch? Tulio couldn't remember which color had been used in the medicine, and which one was poisonous.

He stared back and forth from bush to bush, trying to look for signs. Certain leaf patterns that might give it away, but the bushes seemed identical. Finally, after hearing Miguel's cries becoming steadily louder and louder and knowing they would attract far too much attention, he decided with the best way he knew how.

"Enie-Minie-Mine-Mo…"

The blue berries won. Tulio crushed all the ingredients together against a rock, mixing them with stream water, and caught it in a leaf, bringing it over to his friend.

"Drink this," he said, praying to God and any other deity he'd heard of he wasn't poising him. Miguel did as he was told, choking on it all the way down, then laid back and waited. Tulio sat nervously beside him, watching him, heart thudding in his ears.

After a few moments Miguel's cries turned to only slight whimpers, and his body relaxed, and his breathing evened out. He gazed around him with heavy-lidded eyes, murmuring and muttering to himself, only vaguely aware of his surroundings. Tulio hadn't chosen wrong.

"Feel strange…" Miguel murmured, his head falling against Tulio's chest as he held him.

"I know, try to go to sleep now, alright?" Tulio shushed him. Miguel nodded sleepily, cuddling closer to him for warmth and protection, making his partner blush furiously. It felt oddly right to have him lying so close to him. Like he was made to fit perfectly into that little spot. And he couldn't deny how happy it made him feel to have him so close. 

Feeling secure in the fact that Miguel was mostly out of it, he took the opportunity to hold him and cradle him, and run his fingers through his hair. His attentions seemed only to make Miguel move closer to him, sighing comfortably. Tulio looked down at his face, peaceful under his intoxication, eyes closed, breathing quietly.

"Miguel…" Tulio whispered after a long moment.

"Hmmm…?" the blonde murmured, blinking sleepily up at him.

"There's something…something…I've wanted to tell you." he said, unconsciously gripping his shoulders. "I…I love you. I guess I always have…I just never really understood it before. But after you left, life just lost it's meaning. Money, gold, respect…it didn't mean anything without you. That's why I came back…I came back trying to find you. I understand if you don't feel the same way…Miguel?"

He glanced down. Miguel's breathing was soft and slow, and he was heavy in his arms. He had fallen asleep before he'd even began. Tulio sighed, feeling half-heartedly irritated, and kissed Miguel's forehead lovingly. "Perhaps another time," he whispered, more to himself than anyone.

***

Days had gone by now. The drugs had helped Miguel immensely, and he was on the mend. Now he could ride Altivo without feeling much pain, and Tulio had even managed to fashion him a crutch from fallen tree branches so he could walk a bit as well.

However, they were still lost. More now than ever. At least before they had had some sense of where the shore was and could always go back if they needed to. But now they had wandered so far in, they had lost even that. Tulio was growing steadily more and more frustrated from a number of things, for one it was immensely difficult to navigate through the jungle as dense as it was, and it was slow going with Miguel's injury. Secondly, it was unbearably hot, and it seemed like they would never find the entrance to El Dorado. But what was more, was that with each passing day he grew more and more anxious to tell his companion his feelings, but always he was too afraid.

It was driving him mad.

The golden sun was beginning to dip below the tree line that evening, when the three of them found their way to a rather familiar looking stream. 

"Tulio," Miguel said from his place on Altivo's back, looking down at it. "Doesn't this place look familiar?" he asked.

"They all look familiar Miguel, it's a frickin stream!" Tulio muttered in his foul mood as he wandered away from the horse, sitting down on a large boulder next to the stream, pulling off his shoes and emptying them of several small rocks and pebbles. "My feet are _killing_ me." 

"But," Miguel said again, easing himself off Altivo's back as the horse bent to accommodate him as he supported himself on his crutch, hobbling over towards him. "It really _does_ look familiar…"

Tulio ignored him with an unintelligible grunt and wadded out into the stream, letting the cool water soak his sore feet.

Meanwhile Miguel had wandered a little further down stream, and suddenly gave a loud cry of joy. "Tulio! Tulio, I was right! This is the Piranha stream!! We're going the right way!"

Tulio's eyes widened impossibly and twitched. "Piranha's…?" He looked down in time only to see a whole school of the swimming right towards him. "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" He screamed, leaping out of the water, flinging himself upon the shore, barely missing being bitten in the butt…again. Unfortunately, his shoes were not quite so fortunate. They had been lying too close to the shore, and the fish were biting, even if it was dried up leather.

That was the last straw. "Ooooh GREAT!!" Tulio shouted furiously, waving his arms around wildly as Miguel hobbled towards him, looking concerned. "JUST GREAT!"

"Tulio, what's the matter?" Miguel asked innocently. Tulio gave him a look to kill.

"'What's the matter?' WHAT'S THE MATTER??!!! THE MATTER IS WE'RE LOST! WE'RE LOST IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN PATCH OF EARTH, A MILLION MILES FROM ANYWHERE, WITH NO MAP, NO WEAPONS, AND NO FOOD!" he roared.

"It'll be alright, we know where we're going now, I--" Miguel began, but Tulio cut him off abruptly.

"NO! Just SHUT UP, alright!? I am so sick of your blind optimism, Miguel, I can't stand it anymore! Are you so naïve that you can't even see what kind of trouble we're in!?"

"Why are you yelling at me? What did I do?" Miguel asked defensively, staring at his partner.

"I'm yelling at you because I'm angry, alright! I'm angry at this jungle, I'm angry at myself and I'm angry at you!" Tulio continued to shout.

The other man was taken aback by this. "Oh, I suppose this is all my fault then." he muttered, frowning.

"Yes! Exactly. You finally get it." Tulio replied.

"What do you want me to do, Tulio? Pull the God-damn map out of thin air? Sorry, I'm not a magician." Miguel snapped.

"You could at least _help_ me a little, you know! I have to do ALL the hunting, all the looking for water, while you lie around all day on that stupid horse of yours!" Tulio barked.

"Oh, yes, excuse me, Tulio, how selfish I've been. I'll tell you what, you can climb on my back and I'll carry you around, ON MY BROKEN FOOT!!" Miguel shouted, becoming more and more angry.

Altivo had taken quite a few steps back from the two now, blinking around. This was gonna get ugly.

"Oooh, like that's any excuse!" Tulio snorted, folding his arms across his chest.

"Maybe you'd be happier if you were lost out in the middle of the jungle with your precious _Chel_ and your gold then, hmm? Then you could run off into the bushes and have a few quickies!" Miguel shouted, becoming red in the face.

Tulio blinked. "How dare you! You and I promised we wouldn't talk about Chel!" Tulio shouted in outrage.

"And what good is that, Tulio?" Miguel replied, rounding on him, standing only a few inches from him now. "Your promise? You betrayed it once, why should I believe you wouldn't betray it again?"

Tulio's eyes flashed dangerously. "That's hitting below the belt, _partner!_"

"No! Do you know what 'hitting below the belt' is Tulio!? Seeing you making out with that little whore in the temple after we SHOOK HANDS on it!!" Miguel cried, and Tulio saw to his surprise that his eyes were beginning to water as he stared angrily back at him.

"Oh like that was any excuse for you to act the way you did! You were just jealous of what I had with her." Tulio replied, a little calmer this time, although the anger was still there.

Miguel turned back to him, teeth bared. "You mocked my pain once, never do it again! _I died that day!_" he yelled fiercely, his voice cracking slightly as the first tears appeared.

There was no more shouting now. They simply stood there, staring at each other, breathing heavily. And then Tulio asked once more; "Why did you leave, Miguel?"

For a moment, Miguel was silent, leaning heavily on his crutch, staring down at the jungle floor. "Because…I couldn't bare it anymore." he whispered. "I couldn't bare watching you two together, the way you fawned all over her, the way you looked at her, the way she lusted after you and manipulated you. Every time I saw it was like a dagger in my gut." The words were slow and pained, but Tulio could tell they had been there for a long time, waiting to be released. The anger had drained out of him now, replaced by butterflies in his stomach.

"But…why, Miguel? I mean, I've been with other women before and you never acted this way." he said.

Miguel shook his head, giving him a rueful chuckle. "You don't listen do you?" he asked.

"What?" Tulio asked.

"You don't listen. Didn't you ever hear me? Every time I went through with one of your hair-brained schemes, whenever I let you take your frustration out on me, my 'blind optimism' as you put it…I was trying to tell you something."

Tulio's heart was pounding painfully in his ears, the whole world seemed to melt away and there was just him and Miguel.

His partner looked at him slowly, looking straight in the eyes with a gaze so deep Tulio couldn't look away. "I left, Tulio…because I loved you."

Those little words seemed to shatter Tulio's entire world. He could barely believe what he was hearing. His heart jumped into his throat and his stomach dropped to his knees. 

"Wh…what, did you say?" he asked in shaky whisper. Miguel looked away, taking Tulio's shock for rejection.

"I said, I loved you. That's why I left. You broke my heart, Tulio, and I could never…I could never love anyone else again." he said, his eyes to the ground once more. "So I guess you were right when you said I was jealous."

Tulio was running towards him before he even realized it, and he had his arms around the other man, clutching him tightly, dragging the two of them to the ground. 

"Oh my God, Miguel…how could I have been so blind, how could I have been so stupid!? You loved me?! You LOVED me? Oh my God…oh MY GOD!" he found himself weeping and rambling.

The blonde-Spaniard touched his face gently. "It's alright, Tulio, I understand…" he began.

"No, no, you don't you idiot! I came back to Spain because of _you_! I had to find YOU! I love you too Miguel, I guess I always have! I wanted to tell you before, but I was so afraid you didn't feel the same and I didn't want to scare you away again, Oh God, I'm so sorry…" Tulio rambled.

Miguel's eyes seemed to glaze over as he stared back at his partner. He clutched his shoulder, silencing him and making him look at him. "Oh Tulio…Tulio, say it again, please!" he begged in a desperate whisper.

"I'm sorry." Tulio said. Miguel shook his head frantically.

"No no! The part where you said you…you loved me too!"

Tulio smiled so big his grin nearly reached from ear to ear, he took the other man's face in his hands, running his fingers through his hair. "I love you Miguel. I love you, you and only you."

Miguel let out a gasping cry of joy and crushed his mouth against Tulio's, who greeted him warmly, clinging to him as though he'd hold him forever.

"My love, my darling, Mi amor, mi querido, mi ángel, mi solamente…" Tulio lapsed into his native tongue as he clung to Miguel, vowing silently never to let him out of his sight or reach again. Their tears mingled on each other's cheeks as they kissed feverishly, clinging to the other as though their lives depended on it.

Miguel found himself smiling against Tulio's mouth. Was he dreaming? Was this an illusion, or was he really dead and this was what heaven was? He didn't care, whatever it was, he could face Cortez's whole army alone with his bear hands now, he had Tulio's love, and that was all the power he needed.

Altivo sat aside, watching the happy lovers with a slight sniffle. It was all so terribly romantic after all…

But then another noise caught his attention. He perked up his tiny ears and looked around. Much to his horror and amazement, on the incline above them was a crouching, watching Jaguar.

It was Tulio who noticed the beast next, when he and Miguel at last broke apart, coming up for air and simply holding each other. He saw him over Miguel's shoulder. He held him tighter.

"Darling," he asked, keeping his eyes on the predator.

"Yes, mi amor?" Miguel asked. 

"I don't want to worry you, but there's a Jaguar watching us."

"Really? Because I was just about to tell you the same thing." Miguel said. Another was crouched on the other side of the stream.

"On three, we jump on the horse and make a run for it." Tulio replied as they slowly stood up.

"Yes, well, that might be a bit difficult for me, dearest." Miguel replied calmly.

"Alright then, I'll throw you onto the horse, how's that?" Tulio asked as Altivo slowly moved towards them, bending his neck as the two men slipped on him, Tulio in front, Miguel behind him.

"Right, good, excellent." Miguel replied.

"One…two…RUN!!!" Tulio screamed and Altivo took off like a bullet across the terrain as the Jaguars pounced…

  



	8. The Gates of El Dorado

CHAPTER EIGHT: THE GATES OF EL DORADO

The Jaguars gave chase, and Altivo ran like wind across the grassy terrain, galloping full speed, with Tulio and Miguel clinging to his back. 

The Jaguars were faster than they gave them credit for, and were following so close that Altivo's long tail was blowing in their faces. One leaped, feeling secure enough that he could leap upon the horse's hind quarters and bring it down. It would have too, had Miguel not been quick and slashed at it with his sword. The beast roared in pain, and tumbled, but regained itself quickly enough and was gaining again.

Tulio spurred the horse on faster as they flew over fallen branches and logs, turning so sharply he threatened to throw his passengers from his back. And then quite suddenly there was no more room to run. Altivo reared to a stop at the edge of a high cliff over looking a waterfall. And the Jaguars were closing in.

"We're trapped!" Tulio cried frantically, looking at the thirty fifteen foot drop below them. "Do you think you can fend them off with your sword?" he asked, looking to his partner.

"Well, that depends if you can handle the other with your bare hands." Miguel replied.

Tulio put his head in his hands as the wild cats moved steadily closer, growling and snarling. "We'll never survive, we may as well die here." he moaned.

Miguel put his hand on his shoulder. "Don't be ridiculous, you're only saying that because it looks hopeless." he replied.

"We have no choice then?" Tulio asked.

Miguel looked him in the eyes. "Nope."

Tulio took a deep breath, and straightened the collar of his shirt, pulling Miguel closer to him, and looked straightforward. "Bring it on."

Altivo jumped. For a moment they seemed to fly out over the water fall, before gravity took hold and sent all three of them free falling towards the rapids below. They hit the water hard with a huge splash, and then everything was enveloped in blue and splashes of white.

Altivo came up for air first, kicking and splashing furiously. Miguel was next, gasping loudly for air and kicking as hard as he could with his good leg, keeping himself afloat as he looked around desperately for Tulio. He saw his partner float to the surface for a moment, eyes closed, before sinking back down again.

"Tulio!" Miguel cried, diving under the water and swimming frantically towards him. He caught his love under the airs and dragged him back towards the surface as the undertow carried them close to shore, allowing them to find their footing in the mud below and climb onto dry land.

Miguel pulled Tulio onto the bank, coughing and sputtering, patting him on the back as he coughed up water. "Are…are you alright?" he panted.

Tulio nodded, wiping his mouth against his wrist before rolling over and taking Miguel in his arms and laying with him on the soft ground as Altivo shook himself dry like a giant dog.

"We…we survived then?" Tulio asked after a moment, still breathing heavily.

"We're a hardy breed." Miguel replied, resting his head against Tulio's chest. "Is Altivo alright?"

The horse blinked back at them, somewhat irritated, but other than being sopping wet, he seemed to be more or less intact.

"We're going to die here, Miguel…that's all there is to it," Tulio ranted then, "We're simply going to wander around in this jungle until we die!"

Miguel kissed him softly looking down at him, "We can't give up now, Tulio, not when we've come this far! We just jumped over a waterfall for heaven's sake!" he pointed out. "Besides, I did not come half way around the world simply to lose you now."

Tulio smiled and kissed him again. "You're right for once, I suppose." he sighed. The two helped each other up and looked around trying to get their bearings.

Miguel was resting on a nearby rock, giving his ankle a chance to rest while Tulio wandered about muttering to himself while Altivo munched on some grass. It was then, that he noticed a small pair of eyes watching him from out of the bushes. He peered closer, and the little beast occurred.

It was that bedamned Armadillo!

At first Miguel could not believe that it could possibly be the same one, after all, all Armadillo's looked alike, but this one…

It bounded out of the bushes and scrambled right up into his lap, staring up at him, little ears twitching.

"It's you!" he cried. 

"What?" Tulio asked as he wandered back over to him.

"Look Tulio, it's the Armadillo! It's Bibo!"

Tulio stared. "Oh my God, you mean that thing is still alive?!" he cried. "What, does it just sit around in the jungle all day waiting for two idiots and a horse to wandering around?"

"No, no, Tulio, don't you see what this means?" Miguel said excitedly holding the little creature. "He knows the way! He can lead us there!"

A moment of silent staring by Tulio. "Did you hit your head on the rocks when we fell?"

"I'm serious!" Miguel cried defensively. He looked to the Armadillo, "Bibo, can you show us the way to the city?" he asked.

It rolled itself into a ball and rolled right off his lap and then scurried into the bushes ahead of them. "Come on, Tulio!" Miguel cried excitedly, grabbing Tulio's hand as he limped after him.

Tulio stopped him long enough to help him onto Altivo, and then they were off again. "I can't believe we're taking directions from an Armadillo…" Tulio sighed.

***

They had been following Bibo's sporadic movements for a little less than a hour, and Tulio had fallen asleep against Miguel's back. Miguel was beginning to feel drowsy himself and had just begun to nod off, when Altivo stopped abruptly, grunting and snorting to get his attention. The blonde-Spaniard blinked up sleepily to find themselves standing at the edge of a huge waterfall. And in front of the water fall, was the large stone slab of the Gods of El Dorado.

Miguel shook his lover awake abruptly. "Tulio, we've found it!" he cried. 

Tulio blinked slowly, staring at the slab. He smiled a little. "Well…we found where it used to be. But that way is blocked, Miguel, we can't get through there, remember?" he asked.

Miguel's smile faded a bit. "Oh…well, surely there's another way in…somewhere." he added hopefully.

"Yeah, but where?" Tulio asked as he hopped down off Altivo, wadding out into the water. Sure enough the rocks were still there, blocking what had once been a tunnel. "Where's that dumb pet of yours?" he asked then. He spotted Bibo off to his left, making his way back into the jungle.

"Should we follow him?" Miguel asked.

Tulio shrugged. "Why not? I mean, it's not like we have anything better to do…"

They followed the Armadillo further into the jungle, hearing the sound of the rushing waterfall slowly fading behind them. Tulio was beginning to feel rather skeptical about the whole thing, though. After all, El Dorado was completely surrounded by mountain ranges, that and the volcano. And the further they went, the more skeptical Tulio became as well.

Miguel, however, being the trusting soul that he was, never gave Bibo's judgment a second thought. In fact he was so sure of it, he had fallen fast asleep, leaving everything up to Bibo's directions and Altivo's ability to follow him. 

Tulio sighed loudly, shifting Miguel so that his head could rest comfortably on his shoulder while he steered. "I hope you know where you're going." he found himself muttering to the little orangish brown blob scuttling in front of him. "Though honestly, I don't see how you could. I mean, you're a stupid Armadillo, how could possibly be able to know where we want you to take us?" he asked.

Altivo looked back at him. "Oh don't give me that look, horse." the other man grumbled. Altivo shook his head and continued to slowly follow after Bibo. 

"Ugh, what am I _saying_!? You can't understand me…I'm talking to a horse." he added then, berating himself. He didn't see Miguel open one eye quietly and smile to himself before snuggling closer to him. Tulio smiled and kissed his cheek before looking up again to find that they had stopped at the foot of a very steep incline.

Bibo was slowly, but steadily scrambling up it, jumping from rock to rock as he made his way towards the top, which was misty in the night sky. 

"You have GOT to be KIDDING me." Tulio moaned as Miguel made an exaggerated yawn, pretending to just be waking up.

"What's going on…?" he asked in his best sleepy voice.

"Your stupid aardvark lead us to mountainside." Tulio grumbled.

"Armadillo." Miguel corrected.

"Whatever! There's no way you can climb up that with your leg, and I don't know how we're going to get the horse up."

Miguel looked up at the steep hill side above them. "Well…it's not too steep. If you can pull him by the reigns, I can hobble up it." he said.

"No, no, no, there's got to be a better way." Tulio insisted.

"Even if there is Tulio, who knows how long it would take to find it?" Miguel pointed out, easing himself down and beginning to hobble up the hill. "Come along!"

Tulio and Altivo stared at each other. "You two deserve each other" Altivo's eyes said.

"Shut it, horse-meat." Tulio replied. Then slapped himself. "Argh! I'm doing it again!"

Miguel laughed at him.

*** 

Going up the mountain side, for that's more or less what it was, was tougher going that Miguel had first thought. The grass was slick beneath their feet, and where there wasn't grass, the dirt slid easily. They were forced the go the way half-hunched over, gripping onto rocks for hand-holds and supports, dragging Altivo slowly behind them. 

Miguel was for the most part crawling on his hands and knees up the hill, since it was damned near impossible for him to make it on one foot. Both of them were breathless and covered in sweat, and tired and their muscled ached from the effort. The inclined seemed like it simply went on forever, for the top never seemed to get any closer. He glanced over at his partner, who was fighting to keep Altivo from sliding all the way back down to the bottom. 

Since the loss of his shoes, poor Tulio's feet had suffered greatly. They were bruised and blistered and bleeding from the sharp rocks on the hill. 

"Tell me again why we're doing this?" Tulio called over to him.

"Because we live for adventure!" Miguel replied.

"No, YOU live for adventure, I need a better reason." Tulio grunted painfully.

"Because you love me?" Miguel added sweetly, batting his eyes at him. 

"Oh yeah, I had forgotten that," Tulio said in a sort of stand-offish way, that certainly would have made Miguel say something, had they not suddenly arrived at the top of the hill. Both of them knelt, grasping the edge of the ground in front of them, overlooking another steep incline downwards into the city. It was shrouded in mist still, but they could still see the tops of the huge golden temples even through the fog.

"Oh Tulio! We're here, we've found it!" Miguel cried, pushing himself to his feet, grabbing hold of his friend and lover. "We're home!"

Tulio laughed with sheer relief, and took the opportunity to kiss his partner again while Altivo wheezed beside them. Altivo looked towards the small patch of turf they were standing on, and blinked. It was beginning to move beneath them. He nudged Tulio's back in alarm, but the Spaniard simply swatted him away without breaking his kiss with Miguel.

"Tulio, I think I felt the earth move just now…" Miguel said softly as they broke apart.

"You know, I did too, love." Tulio replied dreamily.

"No, I mean, I REALLY felt the earth move!" Miguel gasped then as he noticed what Altivo had noticed earlier. But it was too late. The ground crumbled under their weight and three of them went tumbling and rolling and cursing and screaming down the hills side.

They came to a painful halt at the bottom of the hill, moaning and groaning in pain. 

"Oooooooow!" Miguel screeched, holding his foot. 

"Oooh, my head…" Tulio moaned. "Are you okay?" he asked, pulling Miguel towards him. 

"I'm dandy…" Miguel murmured as Tulio helped him up, the two of them dusting themselves off, Altivo pulling himself to his feet.

Miguel's eyes wandered up to the city in front of them, no longer surrounded by mist. And his heart stopped.

The city was in ruins.

  



	9. TzekleKan's Curse

CHAPTER NINE: TZEKLE-KAN'S CURSE

"No…" Miguel whispered hoarsely, staring around him. The city was in ruins. Half of the golden temples that once stood were now reduced to piles of rubble. Bridges had been knocked out, trees ripped out of the ground, and the streets and peoples homes were lying covered in a thick black mass…all leading from the Volcano. Molten rock. The volcano had erupted.

"Where…where is everybody?" Miguel asked, his voice becoming steadily higher with panic. 

"Miguel," Tulio began, but his partner was no longer listening to him. He already pulled away and was limping unsteadily towards the deserted village. "Where are all the people?!"

"Somebody? Anybody!? Please! Someone answer me!" Miguel shouted, his voice echoing in the empty village. 

Tulio came to stand beside him. "Miguel…I--" he began.

"My Lords?" a soft voice came suddenly. The two turned towards the sound to see a figure slowly emerging from a near-by dwelling. 

"Chief Tani?" Miguel asked hopefully. And indeed it was. The Chieftain of El Dorado emerged slowly. His was considerably thinner than he was at their last meeting, though he was still twice the size of Tulio and Miguel put together. His face no longer had the jovial glow it had before, understandable with the devastations that was around them.

"You have returned! But how--?" The Chief stuttered in disbelief. 

"It's a long story Chief, believe me." Tulio replied. They watched as eyes began to peer out at them from inside darkened doorways and windows, and slowly the remaining people of El Dorado emerged, all stunned and amazed to see Tulio and Miguel standing before them once more. 

"Forgive us our silence, my Lords, we thought you were the strangers." Chief Tanibuck said.

Miguel and Tulio exchanged glances. "Strangers?" they asked.

"The men who came from the sea on great ships, bringing armor and weapons." 

"Cortez!" Miguel gasped.

The Chief nodded.

"Have they been here?" Tulio asked worriedly. 

The Chief shook his head. "No, they have not discovered the city…yet. But that is a long a tale, and you both look tired."

He saw the splint around Miguel's leg then, and Tulio's bloody feet. "You're injured!" he gasped.

"Never mind that now, tell us what happened." Miguel urged. The chief put his massive arms around the two of them, leading them down the road that was slowly beginning to fill with people again, all smiling and staring. "In due time. You need rest and care."

The Gods Temple, amazingly enough, still remained untouched from the disaster, and stood in the center of the city looking as glorious as it ever did. Despite their curiosity to learn what had happened to the city, the two companions were more than glad to be off their feet and resting on something softer than the hard ground. They were brought plenty of food and wine to drink, and the Chief had Miguel's leg tended to at once, while Tulio soaked his feet in small pool inside the temple. Altivo too was well taken care of, and given all the able he could eat, and wine too.

The people of El Dorado for all intents and purposes still believed that Tulio and Miguel were the Lords of El Dorado, even if the Chief knew better. They did not question the fact that, if the two were Gods, how was it they bleed or had injuries? It was irrelevant to them, for they loved Tulio and Miguel, as they had saved them from Tzekle-Kan's wrath before. They were heroes, even if they weren't divine spirits.

"Chief, you still haven't told us happened." Miguel said as Tanibuck turned to leave. He sighed and shook his head, sinking down onto the one of the cushioned couches. 

"It began sometime after you had sealed the gate," he began quietly as the two men listened intently. "The volcano had been looking angry for sometime, smoking quietly. We thought it had gone out all together, but then suddenly, it erupted with so much fury it was frightening. Much of the city was covered under the lava, and we lost many lives. But some of the people escaped from the village, for the eruption had caused a great opening in the mountain side that was impassible before. They fled into the jungle, and there they met him. The man you call Cortez. He took many of our people captive. Only one managed to escape, one of my guards. It has been many months now since their capture, I fear for their lives." he concluded.

Miguel and Tulio soaked it all in slowly, and then slowly turned to look at each other. "Well, that settles it then." Miguel said simply.

"Oh no…" Tulio moaned, knowing what was coming.

"We'll simply go and search for them!" he said jumping up as if he'd go right this minute, but his ankle throbbed painfully and yelped, falling back down again. It was extremely tender as dragging up that mountainside.

"My Lords, I am honored that you wish to help, but you are in no condition. Please, rest here until you are well, and then we will see what we can do." 

Tulio nodded, "You're exactly right, Chief, thank you so much. Now, if you'll excuse us, we're both a little tired…" he began. 

Chief Tani nodded, smiling as he stood up. "Of course," he said as excused himself, drawing the curtains behind himself as he left the temple.

Tulio sighed in relief, slumping back against his couch. "Ahhh…I could sleep for a week." he sighed. The two of them got up to move towards their bed, when they remembered…there was only one.

As friends, this had never been a problem, but now as lovers…

"Uh…I'll just sleep over here on the couch," Tulio said, but Miguel caught him by the belt buckle, pulling him back. 

"Oh no you don't," he said slyly, pulling him towards the bed. They had both had quite a lot of wine, and Miguel was a bit out of it any from his medicine. Tulio gulped as Miguel pushed onto the bed, climbing in beside him and began kissing him softly and sweetly, holding him tightly. Tulio gladly returned it with the same feelings flooding through him, but he couldn't help but feel apprehensive. After all, Miguel was hurt, and drugged, and drunk…

"Miguel…Miguel," Tulio said, breaking away from his kisses. "Miguel, we can't…" he said.

Miguel nuzzled his neck, purring like a large house cat. "Why not?" he asked, giving Tulio's earlobe an affectionate nip.

"Because you're hurt…" Tulio began, feeling Miguel's bare skin against his hands as the blonde-Spaniard tugged off his shirt.

"I feel fine!" Miguel insisted, giving Tulio the same treatment. The two held each other tightly, feeling flesh against flesh. Tulio moaned at the sensation. Holding his best friend close to him like this made him feel a way that no woman he'd ever had made him feel. 

Miguel smiled up at him, "Why Tulio, is that a gold brick in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?" 

Tulio blushed, but then grew serious. "Never mind that, Miguel, I need to know, right here right now, are you sure about this? Is this what you really want?"

Miguel stared back at him with those deep green eyes, full of love and longing. "I'm sure. I love you, Tulio."

That was all the reassurance Tulio needed. They drew the curtains closed around their bed, and blew out the candle light, leaving them in warm loving darkness.

***

Margarita just stared. 

Their boat had landed upon the shores of the new world, and all that laid before her was sand and jungle. They had received Lorenzo's letter shortly before his boat had set sail, and she stood with her father, waiting to be greeted by the renowned explorer and conquistador Cortez, along with the survivors of the ship.

"They went into the jungle?" she gasped when Lorenzo had told her the news.

"All the tracks lead there, senorita. We can only follow them so far, then they disappear." he replied.

"I see," she said at length, looking to her father. "No matter. My daddy will find him."

"But senora…" he began.

"My father can track a falcon on a cloudy day, he can track that man." she replied snootily. Cortez approached then with a strange looking native at his side. The Count and the conquistador greeted each other with cool familiarity. The Count gazed at the tracks leading away into the dense undergrowth.

"They must be very desperate, or very brave, or very stupid." he said.

"A little bit of all I should think." Lorenzo replied.

"Do you mean to follow them?" Cortez asked gruffly.

"They will either live or die in there. If they die, I have no wish to join them. If they live, I will greet them on the other side." Ferdinand replied. 

"It is too far around. I believe I have a better idea," the native next to Cortez said suddenly.

"It talks!" Margarita gasped.

Cortez cuffed him across the face for talking out of line, but the strange man's smile never faltered. Still Cortez asked, "What do you mean?"

"I know of who you speak, and if you take my advice, my lords, you will be able to bring them to you…" he said darkly.

*** 

Tulio woke to warm late morning sun shining in through the temple windows, and the feeling of a warm naked body next to his. He looked down to see Miguel curled against him, head resting on his chest, arm wrapped around his torso, breathing softly.

Tulio sighed in contentment, combing his fingers through Miguel's soft golden hair. He could live his life happily like this, just he and Miguel and the quiet peace of El Dorado. He would have been content to spend the rest of his days just like this, holding the man he loved. "Te amo…" he whispered, kissing his partner's hair softly.

The other man sighed then in his sleep, moving a bit closer, holding Tulio tightly. He blinked, coming into conscious, and looked up sleepily at Tulio, who simply gazed back at him warmly.

"Good morning." he said.

Miguel grinned, "That it is." he replied. "I barely dare to believe this is all real." he admitted.

Tulio held his hand to his heart, letting him feel the heart beat beneath. "As real as anything, love."

"I love you." Miguel said, kissing his mouth softly.

"I love you too." Tulio replied.

Then there was the sudden rustling of fabric and the Chief's head appeared. "My Lords, I--"

Miguel and Tulio stopped in mid-kiss, staring with wide eyes, before screaming and leaping under the blankets, Miguel kicking Tulio clean out of the bed, sending him to the floor in a tangle of sheets and pillows as the Chief himself staggered backwards.

"Chief, Chief!" Tulio cried, standing up, trying to smooth things over, wrapping one of the blankets around his waist. "How can we help you?"

"I am very sorry to intrude," Chief Tani replied, looking quite embarrassed, "I was simply coming to tell you that we have spotted smoke on the horizon." he said.

"It has to be him," Miguel said popping his head out from behind the bed taperstries, tugging on his pants as he did so. "Tulio let's go."

"We'll get right on it, Chief, uno momento, could you excuse while we make ourselves decent?" Tulio asked, and Tonibuck gladly replied, although he was smiling smugly to himself as he left the room.

"Well THAT was mortifying." Tulio grumbled, sinking down on the edge of the bed. 

"I agree, but we can't worry about that now." Miguel said, struggling into his shirt and grabbing his sword from it's place on the floor. "We have to find the captives!"

"Hold it there, amigo!" Tulio cried, grabbing Miguel by the seat of his pants and pulling him inadvertently into his lap. "You shouldn't be traipsing around looking for conquistadors on a broken ankle."

"Oh Tulio, it's fine! I've got a bit of a limp and it aches a bit, but I can still walk!" Miguel insisted.

"Then I think you were exaggerating back in the jungle." Tulio replied.

"I was not! It's this native healing power," Miguel argued. Tulio just gave him that blank stare, so Miguel licked his cheek the way Altivo would to snap him out of it.

"Ugh! Yick!" Tulio gasped.

"Yeah, that's not what you said last night…" Miguel said, smiling smugly, climbing out of his partner's lap. "Come on Tulio, our people need us! Miguel and Tulio, Mighty and Powerful Gods of El Dorado, to the rescue!" The blonde cried, charging, as best he could, towards the door.

"Not again…" Tulio lamented.

*** 

And so they set out into the jungle again, this time with ample supplies, and both equipped with swords and spears. They followed the smoke that was floating above the tree line for many miles, and little by little they began to see signs of where Cortez's army had been. Slashed and burned trees, the ground trampled with many foot prints, and the lack of wildlife. 

At last they could see looming in the distance the source of the smoke. Cortez's camp. It was huge, and filled with soldiers all heavily armed. However, none of them seemed to be paying much attention to them. They were all rather engrossed in their drinking and merriment. 

It was Miguel who spotted the captives first. They were all sitting, about a dozen of them, shackled in a small circle in the middle of the camp. 

"Tulio, there they are," Miguel said, tugging on his sleeve as they crouched in the undergrowth. "Lets go."

"Whoa, whoa, hold it Miguel, I don't like this…" Tulio said, gazing suspiciously at the captives. Something didn't feel right. "I think we should---"

*Click*

"Don't move!" a voice from behind them barked. The two men froze, feeling the tingling sensation of a gun barrel at their backs. It was the Count, and behind him was Margarita. 

"Surrender!" he demanded.

"You mean you wish to surrender to us? Very well, we accept." Miguel said. Tulio stared at him.

"I give you gentlemen full marks for bravery, do not make yourselves fools." The Count grunted. "Surrender!" he demanded again.

"Ah, but we know the secretes of the jungle, and we can live there quite happily for sometime, so if you ever feel like dying, please, come visit." Tulio said this time, trying to bluff his way out the way he always did.

"It's clear that this man must have kidnapped him, daddy. Kill him." Margarita said glaring at Tulio. The Count raised his gun again. 

"NO!" Miguel cried, throwing himself in front of him protectively, eyes wide in fear. He glared at Margarita. She knew she had him. There was nothing he could do, except…

"Will you promise not to hurt him?" he asked.

"What?" Margarita asked. 

"If I go with you, If I MARRY you, will you promise to let this man go free? And these people you hold captive?"

"I give you my word as a lady." Margarita said. 

Tulio clutched Miguel's hand. "Miguel, no, what are you doing?!" he cried. Miguel turned to him, looking heartbroken.

"I lost you once, and it nearly destroyed me. I could not bear it if I lost you again, not while I can save you." he said softly. Tulio shook his head slowly in disbelief as the Count stepped beside him, taking his shoulder firmly, leading him away as Cortez approached, looking more menacingly than ever.

Cortez and the Count paused to each other briefly, whispering one to the other.

"When we have gone, take him and your captives out of the camp, I don't care what you do with them from there, just get them out of my sight." the Count muttered.

Cortez smiled. "Of course." he replied, approaching Tulio as Miguel and the others slowly disappeared into the camp. "Round them up!" he shouted to his men, who moved towards the captives.

Tulio glared up at him, trying to look a lot braver than he felt. "You and I both know you have no intention of setting me or any of the others free." he said.

"Well said, heathen." The Spanish conquer growled, grabbing his wrist and dragging him along side him, his sword held ready. "You are going to show me where the city of Gold is, but you will not speak of it to anyone. When those other heathens arrive, you will tell them that you are taking them home, and that I am escorting you, and if you some much as utter a syllable otherwise, I will cut you from naval to nose." he growled.

Tulio glared back at him contemptuously, feeling utterly horrified. They were doomed.

  



	10. The Plan

CHAPTER 10: THE PLAN

The wedding had come and gone, and Miguel and Margarita had moved back to Portugal, and had lived there for a year before Margarita gave birth to a beautiful little boy. Miguel was thrilled of course, but for some bizarre reason, the child refused to see him. No matter what his mother or the doctors tried to do or say, the boy would not go near his father. At last Miguel had him forcibly brought before, a perfect little blonde-haired boy that looked remarkably like himself when he was young, but the frightened child, although now in the same room, would still not come near him.

"Come here, son, I won't hurt you," Miguel said coaxingly. The child simply shook his head.

"Why, are you going to kill me too?" he asked.

"What? I would never harm you, you are my son and I love you." Miguel replied, looking shocked.

"Your love kills. Just like it killed Tulio." the child said.

Miguel was taken aback. "You speak of things you don't understand. They would have killed Tulio if I hadn't I gone with your mother." He replied. "No come here at once."

But instead the child simply died right there in the corner. And Miguel screamed. 

His screams STILL didn't stop even after he had awakened, and he sat there on the floor of his hut, clutching his chest, covered in cold sweat and shaking. Slowly awareness came back to him, and he remembered that he was trapped with Margarita and Cortez, and that his wedding was tomorrow night, and that Tulio had been set free…

"Bad dream?" an eerie voice asked from the darkness of the room. Miguel gasped as two seemingly red eyes glared back at him from the shadows, and then a figure appeared. Tzekle-Kan.

"You…" Miguel gasped, crawling backwards.

"There's no reason to run, I haven't come to kill you." he said in that deep smooth, evil voice of his. Miguel merely glared back at him.

"I thought that was how you got your jollies." He mocked.

"Actually, I've come to help you." the man replied, ignoring Miguel snide remark. Miguel raised an eyebrow.

"You, help me?" he scoffed.

"I'm offering you another option, since I happen to know for a fact that you'd rather die than marry that strange woman out there." he said, producing from inside his vest a small glowing green vile. Miguel didn't have to think twice to guess what it was. 

"Poison!" he cried, slapping it out Tzekle-Kan's hands.

"Your throwing your life away anyway, aren't you? Can't live without your precious Tulio…" he growled.

Miguel's eyes grew steely. "I don't need your kind of help, you monster." he said firmly. He leapt to his feet, and dressed himself quickly, storming out of his tent and rushing right over to where Margarita sat preening herself.

"Angel!" she said as his approached. 

"Listen, Margarita," The Spaniard said without taking his eyes away from her, waving away her greeting, "I love Tulio. I know now that I always have. So if you tell me that I must marry you in three days, please believe I will be dead by morning." 

The woman was taken aback once more by his frankness, and the look in his eyes told her that he meant every word of it. She was stunned into silence for a long moment, thinking. She of course, couldn't allow him to go free. What would that say of her? She was one of the most feared and powerful women in Portugal, and when she wanted something she got it, no matter what the plea may be. But of course, she couldn't allow him to know that. A plan slowly formulated in her mind and she smiled.

"I…I could never cause you such grief, dear Miguel." she said, standing up and taking his hands in hers. "Consider our wedding off." 

Miguel smiled brightly. "Oh thank you, senora, I knew you'd understand--" he began, but Margarita shook her head.

"But…oh dear," she said, trying her best to sound worried.

Miguel looked puzzled, "What is it?"

"Well, I just thought…are you sure this Tulio of yours still wants you?" she asked. "I mean, after all, it was YOU who did the leaving, and well…pirates such as I hear he is are not known for their loyalty."

Miguel simply smiled. "My Tulio will always come for me."

"Unh-huh…" Margarita said, tapping her finger to her chin. "I have an idea! I'll send my man Lorenzo after your beloved with a letter from you. If Tulio still wants you…bless you both! If not…please, consider me as an alternative to suicide." she said gently.

Miguel nodded in full confidence that she would keep her word. Margarita merely smiled after him. 

*** 

Tulio rode astride Altivo in silence, Cortez marching riding along side him, and the captives behind them. Cortez was in a giddy mood, he thought he had them exactly where he wanted them. That and he was definitely ruining he and Miguel's day.

But there was no way in hell Tulio was simply going to sit by and watch both El Dorado and Miguel be destroyed by this. Not to mention saving his own life, which he knew would become useless once he disclosed the location of the city. Slowly, but surely, a plan was formulating in his mind. Someway, somehow, he had to get away and warn the people of El Dorado before Cortez could get there. If he could do that, then he could also get back before Cortez and stop the wedding. But that would mean that he would have to escape, of course, and right now the chances of that were slim.

Tulio moaned in despair. He could see know conceivable way out of this mess. He had to think…

"_Think Think Think!"_ he berated himself mentally. _"In a situation like this you have to use your own strengths against the enemy…what are you good at Tulio, what---_" 

Slowly the black-haired man smiled to himself. What was he good at? That was simple. He was a conartist with a silver tongue and a sharp mind. He would have to find some of talking his way out of this. He glanced over at his captor. Cortez was no man to be trifled with. He'd as soon as kill Tulio as look at him, and he was only valuable as long as they didn't find the city. No, he needed someone even more greedy than Cortez, and a whole lot less devious.

Lorenzo. Of course. Tulio smiled again and gently ran his hand across Altivo's mane, hopping to let the creature know he had a plan. Altivo snorted softly in reply.

That night, as they broke camp, Tulio found himself bound and under careful guard. But he wasn't worried. In fact, he looked rather calm sitting there with Lorenzo and a few other sleeping soldiers. Lorenzo eyed Tulio, who was eyeing him.

"What are you looking at?" the other man grumbled.

"Nothing." Tulio shrugged casually. "I was just wondering." he replied.

"Wondering what?" Lorenzo asked.

"Well, why a smart man like you is taking orders from a guy like Cortez." Tulio replied. "I mean, you know that even if you DO find the city, you won't get any of the gold, right?" he asked.

Lorenzo cocked an eyebrow at him. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Well, I'm just saying, I mean, it's pretty obvious isn't it? He burned your boats so can't even return home, so what do you plan to do with all the gold here? The native's have no idea what value it has because they're surrounded by it." Tulio said, watching as Lorenzo began to become engrossed in his own method of manipulation. "If you ask me, I think he's planning on taking all the gold he can carry, and then hauling himself back to Spain with the Count and leaving you poor saps stranded." he added.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"Maybe you're right, and maybe you're not, but that still doesn't mean I'm releasing you." Lorenzo replied.

Still Tulio smiled. "Oh of course. But still, it seems a shame that neither one of us will be around much longer to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. Tell me, Lorenzo, are you a gambling man?" he asked.

Lorenzo nodded. "Undisputed." he replied proudly.

"Really?" Tulio asked with mock excitement. "Well, as you know, I've rather made a living from it. I'd love to test your skill." he replied. 

"But I'm not untying you. And besides, you're no match for my wits." Lorenzo said then, becoming more arrogant by the second.

"You're really that smart?" Tulio asked.

"Have you heard of the great Greek philosophers?" Lorenzo asked. Tulio nodded. "Morons." Lorenzo concluded.

"I think you're bluffing." Tulio replied.

"Oh do you?" the other man asked, rising to the bait. "We'll just see little man." He reached over, and quickly undid Tulio's hands, leaving his feet bound. 

"I propose a battle of wits. To the death." Tulio replied excitedly. 

"I accept!" Lorenzo replied.

"Hand me those wine goblets over there." the other Spaniard said, motioning to the bottle of wine and empty goblets standing nearby. As Lorenzo did this, Tulio pulled out a small pouch from inside his vest. It was what remained of the sleeping draught he'd made for Miguel. He explained it to Lorenzo, only adding that it was poison, who nodded excitedly, and quickly hid both cups behind his back, emptying the packet into one of the cups, and then returning them to their place in front of his opponent.

"Now the game begins. It ends when you chose, and we drink, and find out who is right and who is dead."

"Child's play." Lorenzo replied. "All I have to do is deduce, from what I know of you, the way your mind works. Are you the kind of man who would put the poison into his own glass, or into the glass of the enemy?"

"You're stalling." Tulio replied.

"I'm relishing is what I'm doing," answered the bald man. "No one has challenged my mind in years and I love it." he said.

"And as I said before, you're stalling."

Lorenzo smiled and stared at the wine goblets. "Now a great fool," he began, "would place the wine in his own goblet, because he would know that only another great fool would reach first for what he was given. I am clearly not a great fool, so I will clearly not reach for your wine."

"That's your final choice?" asked Tulio.

"No. Because you know I was not a great fool, so you would know that I would never fall for such a trick. You would count on it. So I will clearly not reach for mine either."

"Keep going," the black-haired man replied.

"I intend to." the other man replied. "We have no decided the poisoned cup is most likely in front of you. But since you are a conman, and conmen are used to having people not trust them, as I don't trust you, which means I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you."

Tulio was starting to get nervous.

"But again, you have suspected I knew your origins, so you would have known about criminals and criminal behavior, and therefore I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."

"Truly you have a dizzying intellect," whispered Tulio.

"You have escaped me and the rest of the crew on the ship and managed to survive in the jungle, which means you are exceptionally strong, and exceptionally strong men are convinced that they are so powerful they will never die, too powerful even for poison, so you could have put it into your cup, trusting your strength to save you; thus I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you."

Tulio was very nervous now.

"But you also are still a conman, and so you must have studied, and if you can study, you are clearly more than simply strong; you are aware of how mortal we all are, and you don't wish to die, so you would have kept the poison as far from yourself as possible; therefore I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."

"You're trying to make me give away something. It won't work." Tulio replied.

"It already has! You 've given everything away, I know where the poison is!" Lorenzo cried.

"Only a genius could have deduced as much." replied Tulio.

"How fortunate for me that I happen to be one." Replied Lorenzo becoming more and more amused now.

"You can not frighten me," said Tulio, but there was fear all through his voice.

"Shall we drink then?"

"Pick, choose, quit dragging it out, you don't know, you couldn't know."

Lorenzo only smiled at his outburst. Then a strange look crossed his features and he pointed off behind the other man. "What in the world could that be?" he asked.

Tulio turned around to look. "I don't see anything."

"Oh, well, I could have sworn I saw something, no matter." Lorenzo began to laugh.

"I don't understand what's so funny," the other Spaniard said.

"I'll tell you in a minute, first let's drink."

And he picked up his own goblet.

Tulio picked up the one in front of him.

They drank.

"You guessed wrong," said Tulio.

"You only _think_ I guessed wrong," said Lorenzo, his laughter ringing louder. "That's what's so funny! I switched glasses with you when your back was turned!"

There was nothing for Tulio to say.

"Fool!" cried Lorenzo, relishing his victory. "You fell victim to one of the classic blunders!"

He was quite cheery until the drugs took effect.

Tulio reached down and untied his feet and stepped over the sleeping fool, moving towards Altivo, who was just staring at him. Tulio smiled. "You didn't really think I'd fall for that old trick, did you?" he asked the horse.

They moved then towards the captives, who were all sleeping quietly. In silence Tulio roused them all, and motioned for them to take to the jungle, one by one, without waking the guards. They understood, and followed through successfully…

Until the very last one, tripped over a sleeping guard, who woke with a start and sounded the alarm. Tulio bolted, leaping upon Altivo as the guards raced after him, Cortez shouting behind them the whole way.

His heart was thudding in his ears. He had to get away, he had to save Miguel…

And then quite suddenly, Tulio let out a loud gasping shout of pain, as a bullet struck him through the shoulder. He rolled off Altivo's back, and fell hard upon the jungle floor, and laid still.

*** 

Miguel was lost in black abyss of swirling water. Xibalba, the Spirit world of El Dorado, was sucking him down into its dark depths. Skeletal hands clutched at him from the whirlpool, dragging him down, watching him drown. And all the while, Tzekle-Kan looked down at him from far above, laughing, insidiously laughing at his misery. Margarita appeared beside him then, dressed in her wedding gown, and threw her wedding bouquet down at him. Miguel stared at the falling flowers, which suddenly turned from harmless plants into daggers, which ripped through his body.

Miguel opened his mouth to scream as he fell, but now sound came out. Down he went, further and further into the whirlpool as blood surrounded him, until he came to a crashing halt at the whirlpool's floor.

He laid there for a moment, staring up at the distant light far above him, and then turned his head to see Tulio standing there beside him, gazing at him serenely. 

"Tulio, help me!" Miguel whispered, his body racked with pain. Tulio knelt beside him, and took him in his arms.

At once all of Miguel's pains were gone, replaced by warmth and comfort. He blinked up at his partner, and found that both he and Tulio were glowing softly with strange golden light. At once the waters around them dissipated and they were standing once more on solid ground. But Tzekle-Kan was still there, laughing, and in a flash he transformed from himself into a fearful Jaguar form, just as he had done before, threatening to devour them. There was already blood on his lips, though whose they didn't know.

And then, from behind the evil Jaguar, loomed the same strange stone plaque that he and Tulio had encountered so long ago. The depiction of the two gods, riding on a horse. The lords of El Dorado. The image seemed to grow higher and higher, until it blocked out the sun itself…

Miguel came awake, dripping with cold sweat and breathing hard. His dreams were horrifying, and growing steadily worse. He sat up in his bed, staring around his darkened tent. Still no sign of Tulio, and the wedding was edging closer and closer. His dreams, he knew, were trying to tell him something, but what he could not understand. 

What he wouldn't give for a kind word in that moment of fear and dark. But instead he was greeted with the exact opposite. As his sight cleared and adjusted to the darkness, he found that he was not alone. Tzekle-Kan sat across from him, just as he had the night before, staring quietly into the dark.

"What do you want from me?!" Miguel screamed, lashing out at him, grabbing him fiercely by the throat and throwing him to the ground. Tzekle-Kan said nothing, only looking up at him and smiling with unnerving calm.

Miguel recoiled from him like a frightened child, dashing out into the night air, staring around him frantically. Reality could be far more fearful than any nightmare at times. He fell to his knees, trembling in fear. 

Tzekle-Kan came from the tent then and stood beside him. "You do not understand, do you?" he asked.

Miguel looked up at him angrily. "Understand what?" he barked.

"You and your friend thought you were so very clever before, didn't you? Coming to our land, making my people believe you were some sort of savior. I believed you for a time, but that was before I learned how soft hearted you were. The Gods demand blood because they have none of their own. It is essentials to sustaining our society. The Gods devour those who are wicked and unrighteous, leaving only their loyal servants to serve them." he said. "And now the Gods are taking vengeance upon you because you have lead their people away from them."

"You're sick." Miguel growled. "How can you possibly believe that the one who created you would want to destroy you?" Then he sighed loudly. "Never mind, I don't even know why I'm talking to you."

"Do you see now that this is all you have left?" the high priest asked then. "What I offered you before was mercy, something I'm sure you'll get none of from her." he said, nodding his head towards the boat. Miguel staggered to his feet and ran from the native, he ran straight towards Margarita's tent, throwing open the tent flap.

She gasped, having been awakened by the sound, and sat up, wrapping herself in her sheets. "Miguel!" she screeched.

"I'm sorry, senora, forgive me, but I must know, have you had any word from Tulio? Any word at all?" he cried, falling on his knees at her bedside.

"It's too soon, my angel." she replied, patting his golden blonde hair. "You really must be more patient." 

Miguel nodded hopelessly, looking like a lost child. "I know, but my dreams have been terrifying of late, and I know I will not have any rest until I've heard from him." 

She smiled, drawing his head into her lap and stroking his hair. Miguel was so desperately seeking comfort that he didn't even care who was giving it, even the woman who had caused all this mess in the first place. "I don't know how much more of this I can stand." he whimpered.

"You really do love him, don't you?" she asked. She knew little of the emotion, for she much preferred material things to people, but even she could recognize the emotion when she saw it in another. 

Miguel nodded. "With all my heart."

For a moment, a pure glistening moment, pity entered the woman's heart. She pitied Miguel, really and truly pitied him, because she knew that he would never return to him. She decided then that at least she would be more kind to the poor man, as he would need it in his remaining days. It was the least she could do for him, you know, after separating him from his "true love" and forcing him to marry her, only to flaunt him around until she found a better suitor and had him killed.

"Now then, that's enough of that." she said, gently pushing him up, trying not to show that she could actually care about someone other than herself. "You must try to get some rest. If you haven't got your health…you haven't got anything." she said in a rather motherly tone.

Miguel nodded, standing up and quietly leaving the tent, but as he did, he paused and looked back at her. "You know, I don't think you're really all you pretend to be, Margarita." he said.

She stared at him. He said nothing more, and left the tent in silence. 

But as he was heading back to his own tent, he saw something coming through the thick under brush ahead of him. He stopped and stared, wondering what it could be. An animal? A man? Tulio?

It was the only the second unfortunately, Lorenzo in fact. He was looking definitely worse for wear, but Miguel didn't care. Surely he had word of his beloved. He raced towards him, catching him by the shoulders. "Lorenzo!" he cried, smiling excitedly at him. "Have you heard from him? What did he say?!" cried.

Lorenzo looked at him as though he had two heads. It was then that Miguel saw how badly off he was, like he had had the once over. Surely Tulio hadn't done this. And then he saw that the other man was carrying something in his hand. Miguel looked down, and saw a thin piece of purple fabric clutched in his hands. It was Tulio's hair ribbon.

Miguel's heart jumped into his throat. He pulled the ribbon from the other man's hands and stared at it. "Where did you get this…?" he demanded, his voice barely a whisper.

"I tried to warn him," Lorenzo muttered, "but he tricked me, freed those heathens and ran off. He shot 'im. He's dead." he said.

Miguel simply stood there and said nothing. Now the others had come to see what the commotion was about. "News from Cortez?" the Count asked.

"Yeah, that conmen's dead and the captive's got away. He's continuing on in his search, wants the rest of his troops…" Lorenzo said, but Miguel barely heard him. 

His legs gave out from under him, and dropped to his knees, holding the tattered ribbon. Suddenly he felt as though he was back in that cold endless whirlpool of his dream. Dead…Tulio was dead. 

Margarita came to his side, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. "Miguel…" she quietly. Miguel flinched away from her grasp and stared up at Lorenzo. 

"You're lying…" he said slowly, softly.

The other man stared down at him. "What?"

"You're lying." Miguel repeated, a little louder this time. 

"Look, I told you, they shot him. He's dead." Lorenzo said, annoyed with the blonde-haired man.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Miguel cried savagely, striking out at him. Lorenzo scrambled away from the mad man's grasp, having taken a bad enough beating from Cortez for allowing Tulio to escape in the first place.

"Tulio and I are joined by the bonds of love, and you can not break that, not with a thousand swords. And you can not kill it! He will come back, he will!" Miguel cried, his heart breaking with every word. Margarita laid her hands on him again, compelling him to calm and compose himself. But Miguel was far beyond reason now. His beloved was dead. Dead… he had failed him.

The world seemed to completely crash in upon itself, and he was lost. He fell to the ground before he even knew what was happening to him and fell into senselessness.


	11. The Wedding

CHAPTER 12: THE WEDDING

Miguel stood at the makeshift alter upon the shore of the new world, dressed in customary wedding clothes, and looking miserable. He had resigned himself to his fate, for he knew now he could not go back to living life the way he had before he and Tulio had been reunited. It was better to die. His love's ribbon wrapped tightly around his wrist, he stood there along side Lorenzo, the Count, and the Archdeacon, and awaited his fate with quiet sadness.

"That's a bit inappropriate, isn't it?" The Count asked, glaring at the ribbon around Miguel's hand.

"No more than this whole ordeal, senor." Miguel replied.

The music began to play--for the Count had made all the arrangements for an orchestra so the wedding would be as…normal, as possible--and Margarita appeared, dressed in a long exsquiet wedding gown and positively beaming.

It seemed with every step she took, Miguel could only think of Tulio. His smile, the way he would get so nervous that he would half give himself an ulcer, the way he laughed, the glint he got in those beautiful blue eyes whenever he was up to something…

His touch, the way his body felt against his, how he called his name and held him so tightly that night in the temple…

Miguel shook himself out of his reverie as Margarita took his hand and together they turned towards the Archdeacon. Now, this poor man was very very very old, ninety in fact, and somewhat senile. Not the mention he had a horrible speech impediment.

"Mwadige…" he said as the two stood before him. Miguel smiling serenely as Margarita did her best to look ravishing and in love. It would be so much more convincing when she was weeping over his untimely death if she appeared madly in love at their wedding.

"Mwadige, is a dweam, wif in a dweam…" the Archdeacon continued. 

But Miguel wasn't paying attention to the sermon. His eyes wandered past the old man, out into the endless blue sea, and he thought of all that had brought him here. He had come so far, and struggled for so long, only to be torn away from what he sought at the last moment.

_"I'm sorry, Tulio…_" Miguel thought inwardly, holding back tears. 

_I don't want your sorry! _

Miguel blinked, thinking he had heard Tulio's voice. His eyes wandered, but he was not there. 

_You say you truly love me, and yet here you stand, allowing this to happen! Death can not stop true love! We promised Miguel! We promised each other! And now you break that promise! So keep your sorry!_

Miguel felt a fire burning within his heart as he stood there. 

"Do yew Mwagrawita Fwirdinane, take this man to be your waffle wedded husband?" the Archdeacon asked.

"I do." Margarita said, smiling at Miguel.

"And do yew, Miguel, take this wooman to be your waffle wedded wife?" he asked then, turning to Miguel.

Miguel stood there for a moment, and said nothing. The others looked at him anxiously. Then slowly, Miguel lifted his eyes to stare at the Arch deacon. "No." he replied softly.

"I bweg your pwardon?" The Archdeacon asked, thinking he'd misheard him.

"No!" Miguel shouted this time, pulling away from Margarita. "I do not want to marry this woman!" he shouted, much to the horror and amazement of the wedding party. "I don't love her!"

"Why you ungrateful little---" The Count growled, drawing his sword and moving towards Miguel, but Margarita moved between them.

"Daddy, stop it! I'm sure my love just has cold feet…don't you dearest?" said Margarita trying to laugh it all off.

"I'm afraid not," Miguel replied, looking very resolute. The Count moved forward, his sword thrust to Miguel's throat as the other man took a step backwards in retreat. 

"You ungrateful little rat! I'll have you shackled and imprisoned in the deepest dankest dungeon in Europe for the rest of your days!" he growled.

"I think not!" cried another voice then. Miguel's eyes widened as all the sudden he felt an arm loop around him and sweep him off his feet and into the air. He turned his head, staring in disbelief at the person who held him as they landed safely on the stern of the ship. It was Tulio, clinging onto a nearby vine, grinning at him broadly.

"Inconceivable!" shouted the Count.

"Tulio you're alive!" Miguel choked on his own tears of joy. 

"Of course!" Tulio replied, grinning broadly.

"I thought I'd lost you…" Miguel wept openly, clutching the other man close to him. Tulio looked him in the eyes. 

"Death can not stop true love. It can only delay it for a while." he said, kissing his cheek as Miguel clung onto him.

"I will never doubt again." Miguel replied.

"You will never have need to," Tulio whispered, leaning in to give him a rather romantic kiss.

Bullets zoomed past their faces then as The Count and the surviving crew members from Miguel and Tulio's ship opened fire on them.

"Hmm, it seems the chase is on!" Miguel gasped as a bullet ripped through the sleeve of his jacket. 

"ALTIVO!" Tulio shouted as he got a better grip on Miguel and they swung forward again as Altivo charged across the beach towards them. The two men leapt from the vine, landing gracefully onto the horse's back as they galloped madly across the sand into the jungle, the sailors, Lorenzo, and the Count and his daughter close at their heels. 

Miguel drew his sword from it's sheath and began picking off any who ventured too close to them with powerful thrusts and deadly swings. 

Tulio grabbed Miguel's free hand and kissed it lightly. "Miguel, my darling, will you marry me?" he asked suavely.

Miguel laughed joyfully as stabbed an oncoming sailor in the shoulder. "Oh, Tulio, my love, I thought you'd never ask me!" he replied, ducking just in time to keep from being stabbed. "But you could have chosen a more romantic setting." he added.

"Picky, picky." Tulio sighed, kicking away another one coming brute. 

"We'll never be able to fight them all off." Miguel sighed as another bullet whizzed by them, grazing his shoulder and spooking Altivo enough to make him run even faster.

"We don't have to!" Tulio replied, looking up towards the trees. "CHIEF! NOW!" he cried.

To Miguel's pure amazement the trees suddenly came alive with Chief Tonibuck and his men as they attacked the oncoming brutes from all sides, slaying many instantly and sending other screaming back towards the shore.

"Oh daddy! That man's ruining everything!" Margarita whined from where she sat stride her own horse.

"I know, princess, but don't worry." The Count replied. He looked to Lorenzo. "Come with me."

Leaving Margarita safely behind, they other two men rode out away from the battle, to intercept the other two men who were escaping.

Tulio and Miguel turned, leaping off of Altivo and engaging in the battle on foot, fighting side by side with the natives. The battle was short, and though they lost a few men, their enemies were soon retreating back towards the shore in terror. The day had been won!"

"Lord Miguel are you alright?" Chief Tonibuck asked as he turned towards the blonde-haired Spaniard. 

"Oh Chief Toni, I've never been better!" Miguel beamed. But it was then that he spotted Lorenzo in the background, crouched with his musket. "CHIEF LOOK OUT!" Miguel cried, but it was too late.

The shot rang out, striking the El Doradoian in the back. He gave a loud cry of pain and tumbled to the ground.

"NO!" Miguel and Tulio both cried as Miguel dropped down beside the wounded man, who was lying on the ground, in very serious pain. "Chief Toni…" Miguel gasped, clasping the big man's hand. His eyes then turned towards Lorenzo, who had made the fatal mistake of just standing there. "AAAAAAAAAARHHHHHH!" Miguel screamed, drawing his sword and charging the other man. Lorenzo let off another shot, but Miguel avoided it easily and slashed out at the other man with all his fury.

Lorenzo received a rather painful slash across the cheek, which began spurting blood almost immediately, and then another to the hand, forcing him to drop his weapon. The other man lashed out in a desperate attempt to defend himself from Miguel's onslaught, hitting him painfully across the jaw. Miguel wasn't even phased by it, and he kept coming, ripping his lightning fast blade across the other man's exposed chest, making him scream.

A painful thrust to his injured ankle made Miguel scream but he kept coming, stabbing Lorenzo in the thigh. Now his enemy fell and lay upon the earth. Miguel brought the sword's edge to his throat.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!" another voice yelled, and Miguel turned his head to see Count Ferdinand standing behind him, with a pistol held to Tulio's temple.

"Tulio!" Miguel cried.

"Drop your sword, and he will not be harmed." The Count shouted.

Miguel was seething with rage. "COUNT! Your battle is with me!" he shouted, leaving his henchmen lying wounded upon the ground as he started towards the other man. 

"If you wish him dead, by all means, keep moving forward." Ferdinand said in a pleasantly wicked voice.

"Let him go." Miguel demanded, his voice dark and angry. "You are a COWARD, Ferdinand! A COWARD! You are the slimmest weakling to ever crawl the earth! Fight me like a man, face to face, sword to sword!" 

"Why should I, my boy, when I have the upper hand?" the Count asked, but there was fear in his voice.

"BECAUSE I'M CALLING YOU A COWARD THAT'S WHY! AND YOU'LL DIE A COWARD UNLESS YOU RELEASE HIM!" Miguel screamed, his voice reverberating through the trees.

For a moment, the two men stared each other down coldly, and then the Count thrust Tulio to the ground, tossing his gun aside and drew his own sword.

Miguel smiled and gracefully took position. "Count Ferdinand, you and your daughter have caused me nothing but grief. You have kidnapped me, hurt my friends, and now you seek to destroy the man I love…prepare to die." he said slowly.

They lunged at each other, swords flying. The natives moved forward to help, but Tulio held them back, crouched beside the wounded Chief.

First blood went to Miguel. He slashed open the Count's wrist. The Count was no match for Miguel's sword play. But, he didn't have to be. Because unbeknownst to anyone but him, Tzekle-Kan was slowly making his way through the shadows towards his opponent with a large knife in his hands. 

Miguel had Ferdinand against a tree now, he had no where to go, and Miguel had sent his sword flying. The blonde Spaniard slashed him across one cheek. 

"Offer me money," he said, smiling triumphantly.

"As much as you want," The Count gasped.

Another slash across the face, "Power too, offer me that." 

"Anything!" The Count gasped as the blood was streaming in two even rivers down his cheeks.

Miguel drew back his sword, poised to kill. "Offer me anything I ask for." 

"All that I have and more, please…" the Count pleaded with him.

Miguel turned, looking at Margarita, who was staring at him pleadingly next to Lorenzo. He lowered his sword, but not before looking at the beaten Count again. "You are nothing to me, Ferdinand. You should thank your daughter. It's for her sake alone that I'm sparing you what you have coming." he said, turning away towards Tulio, who rushed to embrace him.

"But you won't be so lucky…" the Count laughed. 

At that moment Tzekle-Kan lunged forward, screaming, knife raised ready to drive it through Miguel's beating heart…

But he was stopped abruptly, impaled upon a long spear, held by Tulio. The dark haired man stared up into Tzekle-Kan's wide, pain and confusion filled eyes as the knife dropped from his hand.

They said nothing, simply staring at each other. And then…Tzekle-Kan did the strangest thing…he smiled, driving the spear further into his body. 

Tulio restrained his nausea as he felt the High Priest's warm blood spill over his hands. Then anger took him, and he kicked him away, sending him to the ground, unmoving.

He turned towards Miguel, who was staring at him, stunned, before falling into his arms and kissing him frantically. 

"My Lords…" Chief Toni's strained voice came, bringing them from their own little world. 

"Chief…" Miguel gasped, falling beside him once more and taking his hand as Tulio stood beside him. "Chief, don't worry, we'll get you help," the other man began, but the native shushed him.

"No, Lord Miguel. It is time for me to go." he said softly, slowly dying in front of them.

"No, Chief, you can't! What about the city…?" Miguel pleaded with him. Chief Toni placed on of his big hands against Miguel's face gently.

"I leave it in your care now. I know you and Tulio will be a good and just rulers…"

"No, Chief we can't…" Tulio gasped.

Tears pooled at the corners of Miguel's eyes and he nodded. "We won't let you down…" he promised.

Chief Tonibuck smiled…and then laid still.

Miguel bit his lip, but he couldn't stop the tears from coming, and Tulio dropped down beside him, wrapping him in his arms and sobbing along with him. Chief Tonibuck was dead.


	12. Epilouge

AN EPILOG

Chief Tonibuck was dead. His loyal subjects had born his body away to be buried in El Dorado, while Miguel and Tulio lingered behind with Altivo, making sure that Margarita would take her father and the others back to the ship and never return.

"I am sorry things couldn't have worked out, Miguel." she sighed. "I could have made you very happy for a time…until I got bored with you. You understand." she said.

"Yes, of course." Miguel nodded. "But you deserve a prince my dear, you should not have to settle for a second-rate pick-pocket and fencer like myself." he replied.

"Yes, you are rather…common." she nodded, and Miguel had to squeeze Tulio's hand to keep him from expressing his outrage.

"Thank you, for sparing Daddy's life." she said then, looking very sincere.

"Don't thank me, really." Miguel pleaded. "Just take him far away and never return." 

"But what about you?" she asked.

"Widows are made everyday. Consider me another soul lost to sea." he said, trying to sound dramatic.

"Well then, I do hope you find happiness…with your uh…friend." she said, looking to Tulio, feeling rather confused about the whole concept.

"I'm sure we will." Tulio spoke then, putting a possessive arm around Miguel, which made the smaller man smile.

"Adios!" They cried, watching her disappear towards the shore.

"A very sweet woman, you know…once you get past all her faults." Miguel shrugged.

"But a banana short of a fruit basket, if you ask me." Tulio muttered. Miguel nodded vigorously. "Well, my dearest love, shall we return home then?" Tulio asked, taking Miguel's hands in his.

"I'm afraid it'll be a very sad homecoming," Miguel sighed.

Tulio held him briefly. "I know." he whispered as Altivo made his way over to the two men, little Bibo scurrying beside him. Both animals nuzzled the blonde man with great affection.

"I think you should be the God of all things cute and innocent, Miguel. They seem to flock to you, like some stupid fairy tale princess." Tulio teased him.

Miguel stuck his tongue out at him. "You're just jealous because I'm so loveable and beloved and you're such a grouch." 

"No, I'm jealous because THEY'RE getting all the attention!" Tulio replied, pulling Miguel from his animal friends and dipping him low before kissing him, making Altivo and Bibo stare at each other and roll their eyes.

***

The sun did not shine in the city of El Dorado that day. It's people were greatly saddened by the loss of their great Chief Tonibuck, but comforted by the fact that he was in heaven now with the Gods, and Tulio and Miguel would be looking after them in his place.

The two Gods stood at the top of their temple steps, gazing down at the half deserted streets below them as the rain set in. They retreated inside the temple, getting out of the chilling rain, and retired to their bed, both sore and exhausted from the day's events.

It was as they were lying there quietly, side by side, listening to the rain outside, that Miguel felt Tulio stir and reach for something across the bed.

"Miguel?" he asked softly, making the other man look at him.

"Yes?" the blonde-man asked. Tulio looked exceedingly nervous. 

"I…I meant what I said, you know." he went on, fumbling with something behind his back. Miguel sat up, wondering what he could be talking about. "I really do want to marry you."

Miguel chuckled a little at the thought. "Tulio, people like us don't get married, it's simply unheard of." he said.

That's when Tulio produced a plan, bright golden ring. A wedding band. Miguel stared at it. "Tulio…how long have you…?" he gasped.

"I had it made a long time ago, when I was still sailing. I made a pair, for the both of us. That is, if you haven't changed your mind." he added.

"But…but, we don't have a minister." Miguel pointed out.

"Who needs one? This isn't exactly orthodox, you know." was Tulio's reply.

"Alright then, what about witnesses?" the other man asked.

"The horse and the Aardvark will do." Tulio shrugged as Altivo and Bibo blinked up at them from their sleeping spot on the floor at the foot of their bed. 

Tulio edged closer to Miguel, taking his trembling hand in his. "I…Tulio, promise to love, and protect, and cherish you, and I promise to…be nicer to you when you rant about insane things, and to not 'worry too much' and to hold you, when you're scared, or lonely, and to be your partner in crime and adventure for as long as we both shall live." he said, gently placing the golden band on Miguel's finger.

Now Miguel took the extra ring, and held Tulio's hand tightly, staring into his eyes, "And I…Miguel, promise to be faithful, and love, and protect _you_ as long as I live. I promise to try to not be so annoying and crazy all the time, and to sit back and think about things before I charge into them, to not worry you so much, and to cheer you up when you're depressed, and love you with every breath that I have." He slipped the ring onto Tulio's finger.

Altivo whined then, as if to say "Just kiss him already!" which they did, quiet gladly, before falling on the bed, and immediately commencing their honeymoon…

"Wait, wait!" Miguel gasped as Tulio began feverishly kissing his way down Miguel's chest and stomach. "Someone needs to say I pronounce you and man…uh…man, or something like that!" he gasped.

"I pronounce you mine!" Tulio cried, pouncing on him like a wild beast. Miguel squealed in delight under the attentions.

"Oh close enough…" he sighed, and threw hand full of flowers from the vase next to the bed across the room, which Altivo managed to catch in his teeth, before munching on them happily.


End file.
